Bubbles and Balloons
by SnowFox3
Summary: Rose knew she wouldn’t meet another Time Lord in the parallel universe she was living in. But now, as she stared at the phone booth, she realised she was wrong. Set during Last of the Time Lords. Reunion fic. TenRose.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who. The only thing that's mine is the idea for this story. And I don't gain any money from it.

_Hi all!_

_Hope you enjoy the first chapter of my story...Updates will be slow, because I'm supposed to be devoting my attention to another story, but a friend convinced me to hurry up and finish writing the first chapter. So here it is..._

_Oh, and it's set during Last of the Time Lords, but pretends the ending (the part where the Titanic crashes into the TARDIS) never happens._

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Rose stopped rapidly signing documents and sighed. She glanced up, seeing the workers of Torchwood go about their jobs. Some people were typing rapidly on their laptops, others sipping their coffee or tea. No one else was signing documents, only one Rose Tyler.

It seemed that no matter what job you took, there was always paperwork. Normally paperwork would mean signing documents of little significance, and so people were able to sign it after just skimming the contents.

Unfortunately, that didn't apply for Torchwood paperwork. For Torchwood, paperwork took a new meaning. Aliens could pop up anywhere, totally unexpected. They could pop out of a human's skin; they could be plastic Santas at Christmas time. They could even be, Rose guessed, pieces of paper. And as such, the Torchwood crew had to be prepared for any kind of threat- of extra terrestrial origin. Torchwood's aim was to protect the world from the rest of the universe, hopefully without gaining any attention from the people of Earth. Torchwood was a classified operation, after all.

And the leader of that classified operation was none other than the person trying to find the inspiration to start signing documents again. Rose Tyler, leader of Torchwood, and protector of the Earth.

She sighed again. Protector of the Earth, for all the good it did. She was cooped in her office, day after day, nothing to do but sign papers. Protector of the Earth... yeah, right. The best she could do was to be protector of her chair. She sat on it enough.

Maybe she was bored. Maybe, just maybe, she wanted to do something incredible, instead of doing what everyone else on earth did; sit on chairs and sign paper. Maybe, _maybe_, she didn't want to be at Torchwood. Maybe she wanted to be somewhere else.

Trying and failing to shake those thoughts out of her head, she stood abruptly, announcing that she was going home, and if anyone had any problems with it they could sue her. So what if she was in a bad mood? They'd get over it.

She emerged out of the building, squinting at the harsh bright light of the outdoors she was privy to. She opened her mobile phone, fully intending to call Mickey and demand that he pick her up and take her to her parents' place. Not home- her parents' place. She had lost her home, somewhere in the confines of another universe.

Feeling a sudden burst of nostalgia that made her feel nauseous with the severity, she dropped the phone and ran. Ran, and hoped that it was all a dream. She knocked into startled bystanders, not even apologizing as she once might have. Had she been happy, she might have said sorry. But she wasn't happy. It had been around one year since she had seen the Doctor, and she hadn't healed. But she didn't want to think about it every time she sat down. She needed to move on, 'cos he wasn't coming back.

She had known instinctively that the Doctor wasn't coming back when all he had been able to do was send an image of him over. So what if he had blown up a sun? If that was all he could think of after over a month, he wasn't coming back. He wasn't going to return. He wasn't going to come up with some incredible, amazing rescue.

Never again was she going to see his brilliant smile. The smile that light up his entire face like a Christmas tree, and made his eyes sparkle with life. Never again was she going to be abruptly woken one day, to find they were crashing into some alien planet. Never again.

She cried out, a cry of regret, and pain, and loss. Who knew he would affect her this much? To the point where she could barely live a year later?

She missed him. A lot. And nothing was going to change that. Not even time. She had been in control of time when she had been with him, so why would time affect her? She had _seen_ time. She had witnessed the incredible _power_ of time. Maybe for other people, time would make things better. Not for her.

She missed the hum of the TARDIS. Waking up every morning and expecting to hear a hum in the back of her subconscious, and realising once again that she wasn't on the TARDIS was not her idea of a good morning.

She closed her eyes, tears at the corners leaking out like water from a sponge. A very wet sponge. She continued running, no destination in mind, wanting to make herself understand that she needed to move on. It was a difficult thing to do.

She had no idea how much time passed before she slowed her pace. Breathing heavily, she reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone and call Mickey. It wasn't there. _Bloody hell_. She had probably dropped it somewhere.

Wiping her eyes, she walked over to the phone booth, ready to dial Mickey's number. She pressed a button, then another, then another, each sapping energy off her. She held the phone to her ear, surprised when she heard no ringing sound. Instead, she heard _"This number does not exist. Please hang up and try another number"_.

She hung up in frustration. Dialling again, she was relieved to hear the ringing of the phone, then Mickey's voice on the other line.

"_Hello?"_

"Mickey," she stated.

"_Yes Rose? I'm sorta busy..."_ Mickey sure sounded distracted.

"Could you pick me up?"

"_I'm busy..." _

Rose heard someone else talk to Mickey. Someone sounding very female-like. And suddenly, Rose felt a bit happier. Even if she wasn't moving, the world still was. For some people, life was alright.

"Do you have _company_, Mickey?" she teased gently, feeling better by the moment.

"_Yep...I mean, no. I mean... what?"_

"What's her name?" Rose asked. Mickey and Rose maintained a close friendship, but neither wanted to be boyfriend and girlfriend.

"_She's... called Sharon. Look, can I call you back?"_

"Sure. Have fun! Bye."

Mickey didn't reply, only hung up, and Rose chuckled. Mickey would have a good time, and tell her later in the day that he was going out with someone- namely, Sharon. It certainly made her feel better. Suddenly she felt embarrassed. She had left work early, ran to some location- she had no idea where she was- and had been feeling sorry for herself the entire time. _Do something about it, Rose!_

She walked over to a seat just beyond the phone booth, wondering what she was going to do. She didn't know where she was, she couldn't get a lift home- Pete was at work, and her Mum would only worry if Rose called her.

A noise broke her out of her musings. It was a sound that was so familiar it was heartbreaking. It was the sound of the TARDIS materialising.

Not daring to believe it, but wanting to believe it, she ran towards the sound. She stopped abruptly at the end of an alley, seeing something that she would've expected. The TARDIS looked different. It wasn't a police box; instead it was a phone booth, not dissimilar to the one she had been using mere moments ago.

The door opened, and a man walked out. He had dark brown hair, almost black and bright blue eyes. But when he stared at her, she knew it wasn't the Doctor. The person that had walked out of the TARDIS was not any regeneration of the Doctor.

The man walked up to her, his stride even, and fast. Rose decided to start the inevitable conversation.

"Are you a Time Lord?" she asked.

"Are you a human?" the man replied sarcastically.

That statement proved that this man- whoever he was- definitely wasn't the Doctor, and she turned away in sadness for a second, before turning back to stare at him.

"I thought all the Time Lords died..." she trailed off.

"How do you know about us, Missy?"

Rose paused. How could she tell him that she was from an alternate universe? But maybe, he could help her get back.

"I'm from an alternate universe," she stated boldly, "And I'm friends with the last Time Lord."

This information seemed to shock the man, whose eyes widened and mouth opened to form an 'O'. "What are you doing here then?" he asked her.

"I'm stuck. And you?" Sarcasm wasn't going to get her anywhere, but it was fun to play along.

"There was a distress signal sent out."

"So?"

"I came to investigate."

"Well, you can help me while you're here. I need to go back to the universe I was in."

"And why would I help a stranger?"

"Because Time Lords help people out," Rose answered, unaware that the answer she had given was completely false.

"No they don't..." the man said, as if to himself. He looked at her harshly, and she almost shrank back. "The Time Lord you're friends with. Who is he? Or she?"

Rose replied honestly. "His name is the Doctor."

The reaction was immediate. The man's eyes widened further, and his blue eyes spoke of recognition... as well as loss.

"Can you help me?" Rose questioned, desperate.

"Y-yes. I'll help you."

Rose smiled a huge grin that made her entire face glow. "What's your name?" she asked, feeling perky.

The man stared at her one more moment before speaking. "My name... is the Master."

Rose suddenly remembered one of the Doctor's most-used quotes. _Never say never, Rose Tyler..._

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TBC...

_I love reviews... I'd like to know if you like it or not, and the stuff I can improve on. The next chapter will be much longer. It seems that all of my beginning chapters are tiny in length. Oops._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own Doctor Who. I am, however, the proud owner of a sonic screwdriver (thanks be to Talia-Taylor for the excellent birthday gift)!

_Sorry all... this chapter didn't turn out as long as I had hoped. In fact, this has to be my shortest chapter two ever. But read on anyway!_

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Rose followed the Master- a weird name, she reckoned, but she wasn't going to dwell on it- back to his TARDIS. As she walked inside, she knew that the TARDIS wasn't the same one as she was used to. Funny. In the space of one day she had met another Time Lord, and another TARDIS.

This TARDIS had a darker hue than the previous one; and seemed to, instead of excitement and intelligence, radiate serenity and confidence. The centre of the TARDIS was also different; instead of a blue colour, it was a pale purple colour. All in all, however, it reminded Rose of home.

"What's your name?" the Master broke Rose out of her musing.

"Rose. My name's Rose. Rose Tyler."

The Master nodded, and began setting coordinates, pressing buttons in what could be considered a frenzied manner, but that Rose was well accustomed to. "Do you know the Doctor?" she asked, before elaborating. "I mean, do you know the Doctor in this universe?"

The Master paused, and then stared at her with eyes full of regret. "I knew him."

"He's dead?"

The Master nodded. "Yep."

"Oh." Well, what could she say? She'd just found out that the person she loved didn't exist any longer- not in this reality at least. "How did he die?" she asked sincerely, desperately needing to know. It almost hurt, not knowing. She could imagine the Doctor- the current Doctor, suddenly disappearing in a world of blackness, never to be seen again, and she shivered.

While readjusting something or other, the Master's eyes darkened considerably, and he didn't speak for a long time, making Rose Tyler on edge. "No…never mind. You don't have to tell me…"

The Master said nothing, but his eyes lightened in the way only relief could bring, and as he dashed around the console, his footfalls become lighter.

"So… where are we going?" Rose asked. She wanted to keep the conversation going. It might help him open up, and she really wanted to know how the Doctor had died.

He seemed to perk up. "We're going to meet the others."

"The others?"

"The other Time Lord survivors."

"Oh…okay."

There was a pause, and the TARDIS began to move. She grinned widely, missing the rumble and vibrations of travel through time and space. She became aware of something watching her, and she turned to see the Master staring at her with something akin to sympathy.

"You really did travel around a lot in here, didn't you?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I did. Although the TARDIS was different."

The Master inclined his head. "This TARDIS isn't the Doctor's. The Doctor's TARDIS was destroyed when he..." the Master trailed off, looking stricken, and Rose realised that he had been about to say something regarding the Doctor's fate, or close to it.

She decided not to pursue the Master's slip. There was another pause, the only sounds in the huge ship was the gentle humming of the heart of the TARDIS.

Finally, the TARDIS landed, with a smooth shift from space to ground. "You can actually fly the TARDIS," she realised in wonder, staring at the Master.

The Master chuckled. "Yeah, Doc's like that. He could fly the TARDIS, he just enjoyed letting the TARDIS fly itself. Needless to say, the both of them loved adventures."

"'Doc'?"

"Running nickname. The Doctor was always fascinated with humans and their strange use of names," the Master smiled, "He told me that he became interested because when he went to Earth the first time, someone called him 'honey', and he replied with 'Bee's didn't create me, you rude human!'"

Rose laughed. "Did he really?"

"Nah, I don't believe it. But Doc looked pretty serious when he said that to me, so, I don't know for sure."

There was yet another pause, but this one didn't last for nearly as long. "How long ago was that?" she asked, suddenly sober.

The Master's eyes became melancholy. "A long, long time. A couple of months after we became fully-fledged Time Lords."

Rose tried to grasp that. If graduation, or whatever Time Lords did to become Time Lords, was at about the same age as humans, that had happened centuries ago, many centuries ago. Once again, she was reminded of just how old the Doctor actually was.

"Come on, Sprouting Plant."

Rose glanced at the Master in surprise as she followed the Master out of the TARDIS. "Sprouting Plant?"

The Master smiled warmly. "Rose Tyler, meet your nickname, Sprouting Plant. Sprouting Plant, meet Rose Tyler."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "That's the best you could come up with?"

"Hey, I've known you for a whole..." he checked his watch, "three minutes!"

"You're quick to name," was Rose's reply.

"I'll call you Sprout for short. Right-oh Sprout?"

Rose sighed overdramatically, eyes glittering happily. "Right-oh, Mozart."

The Master jumped, turning around so quickly that Rose felt her heart miss a beat in shock. "W-what?" she asked.

The Master looked shaken, and his eyes betrayed confusion, pure and simple. "That was Doc's nickname for me..."

Rose's eyes widened. "I-I... I just reckoned you were good with words, and the name 'Mozart' sorta popped up, 'cos he was good with music."

The Master surveyed her for a second. "You really did know the Doctor. Almost too well..."

"I... I guess he rubbed off on me."

The Master grinned, abruptly changing the subject. "Doc rubs off on anyone he meets."

"That he does," came a new voice.

Rose followed the direction of the sound. About two metres to their left, four men and a woman stood, staring at her with differing looks of confusion and hostility. She took a tiny step back, slightly nervous.

The Master strode forward. "She knows the Doctor from an alternate universe and we're going to help her get back to said universe."

The man who had spoken grinned. He had sandy brown hair with deep green eyes and was wearing some kind of pale, flowing robe. He stuck his hand out, and Rose shook it. "I'm Phantom, or so Master here tells me..." he said to her with another smile.

"Another one of his nicknames?" Rose guessed.

"You got it," was his reply, along with a subtle wink.

The Master grinned widely, blue eyes dancing at Rose. As Phantom stepped back, the Master pushed out another Time Lord. This one, also male, was wearing some kind of dark brown trench coat, with lighter brown pants and top. He had black hair that waved over his face, and, as he lifted a hand to brush the hair away from his eyes, Rose gasped. His eyes were a deep shade of lavender.

"Your eyes... are they real?" she asked curiously.

The man nodded, and gave a little bow. "I am Jorax. Please refer to me as Jorax."

Rose stared at him for a second, slightly confused, but replied with, "Okay. I'm Rose."

"Rose..." another voice interjected. The female Time Lord had spoken. She was wearing something that looked suspiciously like a kimono, a Japanese type of dress. She had long, wavy chocolate brown hair that had been pulled into some form of bun, with some hair still hanging out. Her hazel eyes inspected Rose, before the woman smiled and offered her hand. "Rose is a very nice name," she said.

Rose smiled, and shook the woman's hand. "What's your name?" Rose asked her.

"My name, like yours, comes from a flower. My name is Loranos, after the rarest flower on Gallifrey."

Loranos walked back, and the Master pushed the last Time Lord forward. "This is the Officer," the Master told Rose, "He doesn't speak much English." The Master spoke to the Officer in a strange flowing, lilting language, and Rose realised that he must be speaking Gallifreyan. The words seemed to flow so easily, so beautifully, and Rose knew, at that moment, that the language had been perfected.

The Officer stared at her, and she took in his appearance. Intense light brown eyes, wearing weird formal-looking clothes, with some type of hat, similar to a bandana, resting on his head. Peeking out from the hat was a bunch of red hairs, and Rose grinned, imagining the Doctor's fit when he found out. This regeneration of the Doctor had a strange, recurring with ginger hair.

Rose thrust her hand forward, offering it to the Officer. The Officer stared at the hand for a second, before reaching out with his own hand and tenderly shaking it.

When all introductions had been said and done, the Master led Rose to a broken-down building with flayed paint. Turning around abruptly, the Master spoke to Rose. "You want to get to the Doctor as soon as possible, right?"

"Yeah," Rose nodded.

The Master walked over to the group of Time Lords and spoke to them in Gallifreyan, once again awing Rose with the pure essence of the language.

Even a distance away, she could hear the raised voices of the group as they argued. First the Master spoke, then Jorax, then Phantom butted in to calm them down, then the Officer spoke, then Loranos. Rose caught two word that could be used in any language, however- 'Doctor' and 'Rose'. Names. They were talking about her and the Doctor. Finally, they seemed to decide on something, and the Master trotted happily back to Rose, smiling while doing so.

"We'll need to build another device to get you back to your universe, but we will, don't worry," the Master told her.

"How long will it take?" Rose questioned.

The Master looked suddenly nervous. "Not long. It'll be done by the time we get back."

"Back from where?" Rose frowned.

"Back from wherever you want to go," he replied, still looking nervous, and a bit...concerned? What was going on?

"What was the argument about?" Rose asked him, but when he didn't reply, she said, "And answer me honestly, please."

The Master sighed. "We wanted to figure out the best way to build the device," he said to her, and she narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out whether he was telling the truth or not. She finally decided it didn't matter at the moment, and she nodded. The Master relaxed, though still looked uneasy.

"Well, I have family back on Earth," Rose hinted to the Master.

"Right, then. Off we go!" the Master said enthusiastically, but that was put off by the way he stared back in guilt at the five shapes near the building. Rose stared at him, then back at the other Time Lords.

Why did the Master look guilty?

As they began walking back to the TARDIS, she gave words to her thoughts. "Why are you so remorseful?" Rose asked him.

He gazed at the ground. For a long while, he didn't reply, but just as Rose was about to give up, he whispered, "Lives waste away in the blink of an eye."

Rose's brow furrowed in confusion. What did he mean by that? And how did that statement make him feel guilty? And what did that have to do with the argument she had been privy to just before?

The Master walked into the TARDIS, not looking behind him to see if she was coming, and began fiddling around with buttons and levers, prepping the ship for flight. Rose walked in, the calm atmosphere of the TARDIS making her feel more peaceful. She leant against the control console, preparing herself for another smooth ride.

As they took off, she saw the Master look back once at the door.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

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TBC...

_A/N_

_Hi again!_

_WOW!! I never expected such a response!! Thank you all reviewers!! Okay- list of reviewers to thank- **Talia-Taylor**,**laal ratty**,** SiriusDoctorWhoHoney329**, **Vampmistress**,** x-EmilyTennant-x**,**MythStar Black Dragon**,** Marty the Witch**,** Queen of the Jelly Babies** and **Tigris T Draconis**. Special praise to **Tigris** for the wonderful review! Big claps and huge thanks to **Vampmistress **and **Queen of the Jelly Babies** for putting this story on your favourites. Thankyou to all those that put this story on your story alert list (you know who you are). Thankyou to **Element Siren **and **Vampmistress **for putting me on your author alert list, and a huge thankyou to **Vampmistress **for putting me on your favourite author list. I'm happy!! Yeah!!_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Oh, and the Doctor will make an appearance in the... wait...counting...in the eighth chapter. Wow. That long. Quite a wait. But it's going to be good!_

_Pretty please review??_

_Until next update,_

_SnowFox3_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **The only thing I own here is the idea for this story. And I'm not paid to do this, so get over it.

_Longer chapter this time! Yes!_

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Yep. Another smooth landing. Rose straightened, knowing that they had returned to Earth- or the parallel Earth, to be more precise. She looked at the Master. "How long has it been since I left?"

"On Earth?" the Master guessed. "Only two days."

Rose nodded to herself. Her mother would be worried, as would Pete, and Mickey. But they'd be fine. At least, Rose hoped they would be fine when they found out that she was trying, again, to reunite with the Doctor. She walked out of the TARDIS, breathing in the fresh air- _moist_, fresh air- it must have rained.

Hearing the Master get out behind her, she walked forward, knowing exactly where she was going. The Master had parked the TARDIS on the corner of her street, and she could already see the mansion in which she now lived.

Her pace quickened, and by the time she was just outside the house, she was running. "Mum!" she called, both happily and apprehensively.

The door opened with a bang, and Jackie, blonde hair splayed all over her face and makeup smudged, wrapped Rose up in what could be considered the biggest hug in the world. "Rose!"

Rose fell into the embrace, her eyes watering, though she didn't know why. The last few hours had been such a surprise, such a shock. Maybe that was why.

Jackie was the first to break the embrace. "Where have you been?!" she stared accusingly at Rose. "You've been gone over a day! Not at work, not at Mickey's, not even a phone call! What have you been doing?"

Rose sighed, grinned, and pointed to the shape running towards them.

Jackie stared at the shape, and when it appeared next to them, breathing heavily, Jackie groaned. "You! You've changed your body again!" she gave the Master a hard slap. "What took you so long?"

The Master groaned, and stared in confusion at Rose. "So long… for what?"

"So long to get here, you idiot!" Jackie yelled. "Poor Rose has been pining for you, not that I understand why. You're just a bad influence! And you decide to just dandy along, not a care in the world, till you realise 'Oh, wait! Where is my little Rosy-posy? I know! I should go and find her!'" Jackie hit the Master again. "What took you so bloody long?"

Rose, alarmed, stepped in front of the Master, blocking him from her mother's view. "Mum…" she started, "He isn't the Doctor."

Rose almost laughed at her Mum's reaction. Jackie had frozen, eyes wide, before she lowered her hand, looking for all the world like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Oh," was Jackie's reply. But then she glared at Rose. "Who is he, then?"

The Master, slightly nervous, stood straight and held out his hand. "The Master, at your service."

"The Master?" Jackie frowned.

"Yeah, Mum. The Master. He's a Time Lord," Rose said to her.

"What kind of name is the Master?" Jackie griped. Then, Rose's last sentence dawned on her. "A Time Lord?" Jackie said incredulously. "Another one? Rose, what have I told you about bringing home strays?!"

"Mum!" Rose protested.

Jackie inspected the Master. "Eyes- pretty, I'll give you that. Don't like the hair. Body- s'pose it's okay, for a century-old being. I don't like you."

"Mum!" Rose complained.

"Hey!" the Master grumbled.

Jackie directed her attention back to Rose. "You ditched the Doctor for this sloppy-haired weirdo?!"

"No!" Rose objected. "I didn't ditch the Doctor!"

Jackie heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God. The Doctor has better hair."

Rose looked down and grinned. As much as her mother said that she hated the Doctor, Rose could tell it was all a ploy. Living with her Mum for around twenty years, it was no wonder that Rose could tell the difference between a hating hate and a loving hate.

"I don't have sloppy hair," the Master said, almost to himself. He then looked at Rose. "Do I?"

"Nah, my Mum just says the opposite of what she means," Rose replied back.

The Master grinned, and turned to face Jackie. "I'm going to help Rose here get back to the Doctor."

Jackie frowned again, eyes narrowing in thought. "How much will we have to pay you?"

Rose decided that this was a good time to change the subject. "Could he come in?" she asked her Mum.

"Right, yeah, whatever," Jackie replied. "As long as he doesn't mess anything up."

They walked inside, and Rose was immediately swamped by Pete. "Hey, you're back!" Pete exclaimed happily. "We were worried."

"Not worried sick?" Rose teased.

"Nah. Too many times saving the world will do that to you," was her father's reply.

Rose smiled into his shoulder, relaxing naturally into his embrace. Even though Pete wasn't her real father, she loved him like he was. And he treated her like a daughter, like _his_ daughter, his first daughter.

And that reminded Rose of the other member of the household. "How's Heather?"

Heather, her little sister, was the first real daughter of the living Pete and Jackie. She had been born on June 1st, and one week ago had been her half-birthday. She was now six months old. And she was adorable. Rose had fallen in love with the little bundle as soon as she had been introduced, although she wasn't excellent at handling babies.

Pete, however, had taken it all in stride. His first baby and Rose reckoned he was doing an incredible job.

"Heather's great!" Pete exclaimed.

The Master made an appearance then, and Rose introduced them. "Master, this is Pete, my father. Dad, this is the Master."

"He's got a funny name," Pete stated, much to Rose's embarrassment.

"He's like the Doctor," Rose explained.

"Oh." Pete offered his hand to the Master, who shook it. "Then you're welcome here."

"Thanks," the Master grinned.

Jackie popped her head through the door. "I'll get us all tea, then, shall I?"

"That'd be great, Mum," Rose said, nodding at Jackie.

"Thanks, Jackie," was Pete's response.

The Master shook his head. "Not for me, thanks."

"Anything for you?" Jackie directed at the Time Lord.

"Nah."

Jackie left, to go to the kitchen. Even though there were maids, Jackie preferred doing things for herself- after all, she always had.

As the three made themselves comfortable, Pete began to speak. "So, Master, are you from this universe?"

The Master nodded affirmative. "Yeah, I am."

"Do you know the Doctor in this universe?" Pete asked.

The Master looked down. "I did."

Catching on quickly, Pete responded, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, so am I," the Master said softly.

"How did he die?" Pete continued.

Rose glanced at the Master. Would he talk?

He did. "The Doctor died… well, he saved my life. A lot of lives. And he died."

Rose smiled ruefully. "That's the Doctor."

"Yeah…" the Master faded off.

An awkward silence was maintained until Jackie came back with the tea. While handing it out, she asked, "So, why are you helping my daughter?"

The Master, obviously expecting this question, said, "Because I owe it to the Doctor."

Jackie sat next to Pete, who promptly put his arm over her shoulder. "Why?" she questioned.

Rose was about to tell her Mum to stop, but the Master put a hand on her shoulder, placating her.

"Because he saved my life," the Master told her. "And so I'm trying to return the debt."

"Oh," Jackie said, "Okay, then."

Another awkward silence, before the sound of crying brought Jackie to her feet. "I'll see to Heather," she said.

Pete looked up at her. "Could you bring her down?"

"If she's not tired," Jackie called over her shoulder as she left the room.

Rose turned to the Master, taking advantage of his open nature at the current time. "What was the Doctor like? You're Doctor?"

The Master stared at the wall wistfully. "He… he was great. The last regeneration of his was extremely athletic, and he loved to come up with complicated escape plans, even when they weren't needed," the Master chuckled, "He was incredibly daft, though, for a genius Time Lord."

"Weren't all Time Lords geniuses?" Pete looked at the Master.

"Yeah, but the Doctor? He was the youngest Time Lord ever to map the entire universe in an obligatory project."

"He mapped the _entire _universe as an assignment?" Rose was amazed.

"Just the parts we'd known about. It turned out really spectacular, too- he had used a 3D generator to allow zooming up of a star system, with a modified shield generator to represent the gravity force that each star had. He even had a summary of each planet. When he displayed it… the look on his face…"

"Yeah," Rose stated softly, "I can imagine."

And she could. The Doctor, a young Doctor, showing off an assignment of the universe. Probably with one of his universe-wide grins. She wondered if the Doctor of her universe had the same achievements.

"He got no praise for it, though," the Master told them, grinning. "The real project was to write a theorem of how to create a wormhole vortex while using only two objects- those things were your choice, and a shield modulator."

Rose gaped, uncomprehending, and realised just how simple school was on Earth in comparison. "Did you do the right project?"

"Yeah, I got top of our class," the Master said to her, "But that's only 'cos the professor had to fail the Doctor."

"He failed?!" Rose burst out laughing. "That's so typical!"

The Master laughed along with her, his eyes dancing. "Yeah, Doc's like that."

Rose smiled, relaxing, taking a sip of her tea. But once again, she was thinking only of the Doctor in her universe. "Do…do you reckon the Doctor of my universe did that?"

The Master, knowing that Rose needed comfort, nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure he did. I don't think our universes are that different. But who knows? They might be different, although I doubt they will be extremely different. Maybe just some small changes."

Rose bobbed her head, accepting that answer, and smiled. Before she could say anything, Jackie appeared, this time carrying something in her hands.

"Heather," Rose exclaimed, rising up from the couch to hold her sister. Jackie handed the form to Rose, who cradled Heather close to her chest, sitting back down, next to the Master.

"Meet my little sis, Heather," Rose said to the Master.

"Hi, little puffball," the Master said, putting his face directly in front of the baby's. Rose laughed at Jackie's look of indignation.

Heather gurgled.

The Master raised an eyebrow, dabbing Heather's nose with his finger. "Don't gurgle at me!"

Heather made a weird laughing sound and grabbed the Master's finger.

"Hey!"

Heather put his finger in her mouth.

"Are you going to slobber all over my finger, now?" the Master sighed, all suffering, though his eyes were gleaming.

Heather nodded, blonde hair bobbing, sucking on his finger, before letting it go. Covered in saliva, the Master wiped his finger on Heather's shirt, making Heather giggle happily.

"No more fingers for you!" the Master told Heather.

Rose laughed. "You're great with kids," she observed.

"I had a lot of practice," was the Master's reply.

"How? Kids of your own?"

"No," the Master said, and then chuckled grimly. "I had to take time to look after kids so I didn't…" he broke off abruptly, looking embarrassed.

"Didn't?" Rose encouraged him, handing Heather back to her Mum.

"Everyone thought I was insane when I was younger."

Rose frowned. "Why?"

The Master snorted. "Probably because I was."

Rose looked confused. "Why?"

The Master sighed. "It's a long story, really."

Rose made a point of getting comfortable. "So, let's hear it," she said.

Grinning ruefully, the Master leant back into the soft furniture. "Well, I'm not sure if you know this, but when a Time Lord reaches eight years old, they are made to look into something called the 'untempered schism', or 'pure time' as we used to call it. Anyway, the sight usually gave people different reactions. The Doctor ran away from it, but ran back, pointed and started laughing. I, on the other hand, started wishing for power over this."

Rose nodded, willing him to continue.

"I was still friends with the Doctor, but I had this eccentric thirst for dominance. The Doctor told me to help the kids going through the ceremony get prepared for it, and so I did. For five years. I looked after children, some younger than two, telling them stories of how powerful they were going to become, and how powerful I was going to be. The kids rubbed off on me- their innocence, and blind love. But one of them, after looking into the schism, tried to kill her only friend because she wanted it all to herself. So, I stopped talking to the kids about the schism, but I kept talking to them, kept helping out."

"Did that help at all?" Rose whispered, "With your hunger for power?"

"No…" the Master said grimly. "The Doctor taught me that lesson. Doc taught me that no one could control that schism."

"How?" Rose asked.

The Master didn't reply, and silence entered the room, giving Rose time to sort her battered thoughts.

The Master had, at one point, been psychotic. But the Doctor had changed that, because a power-hungry man wouldn't help her out, right? And a power-hungry man wouldn't feel guilt. But how did someone reverse insanity?

How did the _Doctor_ reverse insanity? The Master had said it was to do with the tempered schism… but what could the Doctor have done so _profound_ to break the Master out of the spell of time?

Trying to imagine what the schism was like, she could picture something similar to a wormhole, just so _powerful_ it left you breathless. It left Rose breathless, and she was only attempting to comprehend it. She looked at the Master in a wide-eyed awe.

"Was the schism really that powerful?" she asked him.

The Master nodded, and his eyes returned to the past, obviously remembering it. "The schism… it was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. Pure time, pure, pure time. A blue vortex, rippling with power, unable to be destroyed. Unable to be controlled."

"And you tried to control it," Rose stated.

"Believe me," the Master told her, "I regret it. I wasted half my life looking for something I couldn't have."

Rose tensed at that statement. Wasn't she doing the exact same thing, searching for the Doctor? Would she really waste her life away just looking for someone a whole universe away? _Could _she? Would she regret the decision to return to the Doctor, when she was older?

"No," the Master interrupted, sensing her thoughts, and trying to remedy them. "That statement was for me, not for you."

"But…" Rose glanced down. "I'm doing exactly the same thing."

"Look at me," the Master told her.

Rose raised her head to meet the Master's.

"You're searching for someone you care about. I, on the other hand, was searching for conquest and power. I was searching for _control_. You're searching for someone you love." The Master stopped at Rose's gasp. "I know you love him. It's not that hard to tell," he said to her. "Only something like love would allow you to trust someone like me."

"Someone like you?" Rose denied. "You aren't bad. You've just had a bad past. That doesn't make you a bad person."

"Doesn't stop me regretting it," the Master quietly stated.

Yet another silence echoed around the room.

Jackie was the one that stopped it, Heather asleep in her lap. "Rose?"

Rose gazed at her Mum. "Yeah?"

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" Jackie questioned.

"I… I sorta lost it," Rose answered.

"You _lost_ it?!" Jackie almost screeched, but remembered to keep her voice low when she saw Heather's sleeping face.

"Yeah, I lost it."

"And are you leaving soon?" Jackie asked.

Rose looked at the Master, who nodded. "Yep. We're leaving soon."

Jackie stood, handing the baby to Pete. She rummaged around in her jacket, and pulled out her mobile. "Take this," Jackie told Rose.

Rose stared at her mother in surprise. "But…" she protested.

"I need to stay in contact with you, right? So take it. I'll call using Pete's number."

Rose nodded, taking the phone, and felt herself tearing up. "Mum," she choked.

Jackie smiled weakly, and reached out to give Rose a hug. "I know," Jackie whispered.

"I'll miss you," Rose mumbled, tears falling into her mother's favourite jacket. "Say bye to everyone for me."

One tear fell down Jackie's cheek. "I will."

They stayed in that position for a long time. Rose, still crying, broke it off, and stood. "Who knows, Mum?" she said, "Maybe I'll be able to visit."

"Yeah," her Mum replied, "Maybe you will."

The Master stood, preparing to leave. Pete stood, and walked over to the Master, sharing a couple of muffled words.

Rose walked over to the Master. Hugging Pete, she whispered, "Thanks, Dad."

As the Master and Rose started to make their way out of the house, Rose turned around, glancing at her mother.

"I love you, Mum," Rose softly spoke.

Jackie, her face now filled with tears, like Rose's, responded by clutching at Pete's arm, and whispering, "I love you too, Rose."

Rose left.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Walking out of the TARDIS, Rose sighed. She had spent ages in the TARDIS, refusing to go out until she had calmed down. But she had calmed now, and so was walking out, with the Master, who had chosen not to leave her side.

"Sorry 'bout before," Rose said to him, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't need to apologise," the Master replied, smiling at her gently.

They were both quiet as they continued walking to the old, battered house. Rose, still deep in her thoughts, clutched her mother's phone to her as if it was a lifeline. Still, she walked without a tremor in her step.

When they reached the house, Rose gasped. The house looked _horrible_. Where once the house had just looked old, this version of the house looked like it had existed for centuries after it's time. "Is this the same house?" she asked the Master.

"Yes, it is," another voice responded, flowing in the air.

Rose glanced around quickly. An old woman, extremely old, had made her way to the two of them, and was now watching them with something close to envy mixed with compassion. "Who are you?" Rose questioned her, looking confused.

"Look closer," the woman whispered, beckoning Rose closer.

She walked closer. The woman was wearing a kimono-like dress that swayed gently as the wind brushed it. Hazel eyes stared intensely at Rose.

Rose gasped.

"_Loranos?!_"

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TBC…

_A/N_

_Hi all! Again!_

_A quick update, I know. My friend (talia-taylor) wanted me to post as often as I could._

_So there I was, slaving at the computer for hours, eyes going bloodshot, but writing. And writing fast. And enjoying it. I love writing. And… hey presto! This chapter was finally finished!_

_Okay, I've got a lot of people to thank this chapter, so bear with me:_

_First, thanks to all that reviewed the previous chapter: __**Talia-taylor**,** Hitomi**,** Tigris T Draconis**,** QuiteRightToo**, **LittleMatilda**, **CSITribe**, **laal ratty**, **x-EmilyTennant-x, SiriusDoctorWhoHoney329** and** I'mTheMasterOfWhatever.**_

_Second, a huge thanks to all that put this story on their favourites: __**I'mTheMasterOfWhatever**, **Queen of the Jelly Babies**, **QuiteRightToo**, **Rosie-Jess**, **Talia-Taylor **and__**VampMistress**_

_Third, enormous thanks to __**VampMistress**,__**I'mTheMasterOfWhatever**__ and __**Mara Jade Snape**__ for putting me as a favourite author._

_Thanks to those that put me on their author alerts list (you know) and to those that put this story on their story alert list. I'm glad people are enjoying my story._

_Thankyou to __**Talia-taylor **__and __**Tigris T Draconis **__for the excellent reviews. I love long reviews. So, thankyou!_

_So, until next time,_

_SnowFox3_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **Once again, I plead innocent. I don't own Doctor Who. I don't make any money writing this. Too bad, prosecutors! You shall fail!

_Here ya go! Another chapter! Not as long as the previous one, but still okay. Longer than chapter 2. On that note, if you didn't understand the part where Rose said 'Loranos', I suggest you re-read Chapter 2. That'll tell you everything._

_Onward with the story!_

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_Walking out of the TARDIS, Rose sighed. She had spent ages in the TARDIS, refusing to go out until she had calmed down. But she had calmed now, and so was walking out, with the Master, who had chosen not to leave her side._

"_Sorry 'bout before," Rose said to him, slightly embarrassed._

"_Don't need to apologise," the Master replied, smiling at her gently._

_They were both quiet as they continued walking to the old, battered house. Rose, still deep in her thoughts, clutched her mother's phone to her as if it was a lifeline. Still, she walked without a tremor in her step._

_When they reached the house, Rose gasped. The house looked horrible. Where once the house had just looked old, this version of the house looked like it had existed for centuries after it's time. "Is this the same house?" she asked the Master._

"_Yes, it is," another voice responded, flowing in the air._

_Rose glanced around quickly. An old woman, extremely old, had made her way to the two of them, and was now watching them with something close to envy mixed with compassion. "Who are you?" Rose questioned her, looking confused._

"_Look closer," the woman whispered, beckoning Rose closer._

_She walked closer. The woman was wearing a kimono-like dress that swayed gently as the wind brushed it. Hazel eyes stared intensely at Rose._

_Rose gasped._

"_Loranos?!"_

The woman sighed deeply, her grey hair pulled into an uneven bun and swaying in the breeze. "Yes," she said.

"But...but... how?" Rose asked, still in disbelief.

"I believe that question is best answered by the Master," Loranos whispered, lilting voice now gone, replaced with a dull croak.

Rose looked at the Master in confusion. "What's going on?"

The Master sighed, but replied, "We came back far into the future," the Master explained to her.

"How far?" Rose asked, shock clearly still written on her face.

"About three hundred years," the Master mumbled.

"_Three hundred years?!_" Rose exclaimed. "Was it a mistake? Did the TARDIS go to the wrong time?"

"No," the Master sighed, "The TARDIS sent us to the right time."

"But then..." Rose said to herself, deep in thought. Then her eyes widened in astonishment. "W-we were s'posed to come at this time weren't we?" she accused. "The device... because it would take _ages_ to create, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," the Master looked down.

"So..." Rose was trembling, whether with anger or horror she didn't know. "They stayed here for three _hundred_ years in order to create the device to send me back to the Doctor?"

"Yeah," the Master continued staring at the ground.

"No!" Rose exclaimed. "No! Change it!"

"I can't," the Master muttered.

"But you wasted their lives!" Rose yelled. "How could you?"

"Actually," the old Loranos interrupted, "He was against the whole idea. It was our choice, and we made it."

"The argument..." Rose trailed off, looking stricken. She stared at Loranos, tears forming in her eyes. "I didn't want you to waste your life for me," she told the old woman, who, just a couple of hours before, had been young.

"We didn't waste our lives," Loranos comforted her. "We finished building the device. And I may look old, but that only means I haven't needed to regenerate."

Rose looked down again, and sank to the ground, face in hands. She had been so cooped up in the Doctor- so much so that five people had wasted three hundred years of their lives to help her. Needlessly wasted three hundred years. Returning to the Doctor didn't mean she had to destroy other people's lives. "I'm sorry..." she whispered, much like the Master had.

Loranos, wrinkles and all, knelt down and gave her a gentle, fleeting hug. "Don't be," she said to Rose, helping her stand up.

Rose, wiping a tear from her eye, stared at Loranos. "Look at you," she stated sadly. "You shouldn't have done this for me."

"But I did," Loranos whispered, "And that is never going to change."

"You shouldn't have."

Loranos lifted Rose's head to meet her own. "I chose to."

"If I'd known..." Rose trailed off.

"That is why we did not tell you," Loranos replied.

"Why not?" Rose mumbled. "If you'd told me, I wouldn't have let this happen. I wouldn't have let you waste your life for me."

"We did not _waste_ our lives," Loranos straightened, proud and upright. "We helped someone who deserves helping."

"Why, though?" Rose asked, looking up. "Why would you help a complete stranger?"

"Because..." Loranos started. "Because, we owe it to the Doctor. And because we wanted to."

Rose nodded, finally accepting this answer. But what had the Doctor done to earn all this? What had been so _important_ that they owed him now, even with him dead? And did it have something to do with what the Master had told her, back at her Mum's place? Did they want to help her because the Doctor had saved their lives, too?

"My Doctor isn't your Doctor," Rose said.

"A Doctor is a Doctor is a Doctor," was the Master's reply.

"Poetic," Rose joked, rubbing her eyes and standing up straighter.

"Yeah..." the Master paused, looking stricken. "Wait! I hate poetry!"

Rose chuckled. "Okay, okay. Let's go inside?"

"Yep." The Master followed Loranos inside the ram shackled building, Rose following the Master.

Entering, Rose was astonished. The building inside was a lot more spacious, and a lot more _clean_. They had walked into a lounge room of some sort, with couches of strange designs and colours were nestled around a table. Cushions were thrown randomly on each couch, their colours complete opposites of the couch in which they rested.

She looked up as a door opened.

"Here already?" the voice asked. The new arrival had a brown trench coat, with pure white hair atop his head. As he looked at her, Rose grinned at the familiar lavender hue of his eyes.

"Jorax!" she called, feeling pride at remembering all of their names.

"Yes. That's me," was the reply, "Come, come."

She glanced at the Master, who had started walking towards Jorax immediately. Pursuing them, she was surprised to find herself travelling down stairs. "Are we heading to the basement?" she asked no one in particular.

"Something like that, yeah," the Master replied.

It stayed dimly lit the whole way down, the lights casting strange shadows against the walls and yet seeming to diminish all darkness. Another Time Lord invention, probably. Whatever it was, it was cool.

Jorax pushed open a door at the bottom of the stairwell, calling out something in Gallifreyan that made the Master chuckle. Another Gallifreyan reply came, and Loranos replied, in Gallifreyan, to whatever that statement had been.

As Rose entered the room, she was shocked. Eyes wide, she surveyed the huge underground room. Tables were against the wall, tables that looked like lab benches, each table having huge amounts of stuff on them. On the left side against the wall, one long table was obviously designated for 'chemical reactions'- dozens of tubes and beakers contained different coloured liquids, some of them steaming, others bubbling. One was even changing colours.

On another table was equipment, strange in appearance, but one reminded her of an electric drill, only instead of a drill on the end, there was a bright green light. One of the things on that table, Rose realised, was a sonic screwdriver.

However, what caught her eye was a table at the far end of the room. This table was mostly empty, having only a couple of strange things on it- two different devices, but there was more than one copy of each. Automatically, she made her way over to it, Jorax behind her, the Master and Loranos in front of her.

Upon reaching the table, she reached a hand out to touch one of the devices- a small, black thing, with a blue laser-like line running down one side and a red dot in the middle- but a hand reached out to stop her. Surprised, she looked up.

This man had inquisitive dark blue eyes, with light blonde hair that flopped down his face. Light stubble covered his chin. He was wearing some kind of armour- which was definitely new. Rose couldn't remember the man.

"Hi Rose!" the man said, and winked, smiling.

Her eyes opened wider, eyebrows raising. "Phantom?"

"Or as the Master tells me," the man continued to smile, but, if even possible, his smile grew.

"You regenerated?" she asked.

"I did," was her confirmation. "I was going for a walk, you know? And I sort of fell. And I sorta landed on something rather sharp."

Rose winced. "Ouch."

Phantom grinned. "Yeah, it hurt. It was only a couple of days ago, though. At least I don't look old and grey, huh?" He winked.

Rose smiled, albeit slightly awkwardly.

"Right!" Jorax called, picking up the device that Rose had been looking at. "Rose!" he said, gaining Rose's attention.

"Yeah." Rose turned and gave her full attention to Jorax.

"This is the device you will use to return to your universe," Jorax told her.

Rose frowned. "But I thought if I travelled to my universe I would destroy both universes."

"Well, yes," Jorax conceded. "But we've figured out another way to get you back. It's quite ingenious, really, if I do say so myself."

"What...How is this device," Rose gestured to the device in Jorax's hand, "Going to get me to my world?"

Jorax sighed, trying to think of something to compare it to. Then he lifted both of his hands, putting the device down. "Picture... two bubbles," he said.

"Okay..." Rose replied, slightly confused.

"Now, when you force these two bubbles together, they pop, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Rose answered.

"Okay. But if, instead, you let them join slowly, they merge to become one, correct?"

"Yeah!" Rose exclaimed, beginning to understand. "So, wait, does that mean you're connecting both universes?"

"No." Jorax shook his head. "There are three bubbles. One of them is this universe. One of them is your universe. The last bubble is you. You, the smallest bubble, will travel slowly through the void, joining up slowly to your universe."

"Oh," Rose said, staring down at the device in blatant awe. "Will this device do all that?" she asked in incredulous amazement.

"Yes," Jorax nodded. "It's slightly more complicated than that, but you get the idea."

Rose nodded. "So what do I have to do to get it to work?"

This time, Phantom spoke. "See that red dot? You have to press it, thinking the whole time of wherever you want to end up. Assuming that you want to be wherever the Doctor is, all you have to do is concentrate on the Doctor."

"Is it that simple?" Rose asked, surprised.

"Not really," Phantom replied. "Did you know the void is timeless?"

Rose nodded.

"Well, because of that, your mind can't deal with the stress of going so slowly. It will be hard to concentrate, and I imagine you will get rather dizzy."

Gulping, Rose nodded again.

"But it won't be so bad," the Master jutted in, hoping to comfort Rose. "It'll be like going on a roller coaster." At Rose's glare, he elaborated. "Just a very twisty roller coaster."

Rose looked down, staying quiet for a long while, before looking up again with eyes watering. "Thankyou," she whispered. "Thankyou- all of you- for doing this."

"No problem!" Phantom exclaimed. "Always happy to help out." Phantom's blue eyes darkened slightly at these words, but Rose didn't notice.

"It was our honour," Jorax said. "But... but we have one favour to ask."

"Anything," Rose replied.

"That device... it can hold more than one person... and it can travel more than once. Would it be agreeable if the Doctor accompanied you back to this universe to see us?" Jorax asked her.

Rose nodded emphatically. "Yes, yeah, that'd be fine."

Another man, hiding in shadows, walked out and handed Rose a different device, slightly smaller, looking almost like a light bulb except a pale blue in colour. Rose grabbed it, and stared at the old man in confusion.

"Thankyou," Rose said, then upon realising who it was, grinned. "Thanks, Officer."

"It's a communication device," the Master told her. "It'll enable conversation between different universes, but only when both ends have a device such as this. I'll be giving one to your family after you leave."

Rose beamed gratefully. "Thanks."

"We'll see you soon, right?" the Master asked her, handing her the transportation device.

"Yeah," Rose smiled, clutching both devices. "Yeah. You will."

"Concentrate," the Master told her.

She closed her eyes, picturing the Doctor's handsome face smiling at her, and plunged her hand down to hit the red button. "Bye!" she called, as she felt a pressure change.

She was spinning. Time was going so _slowly_, and yet it was travelling as fast as light. She dared to open her eyes. Dizzy. Swirling colours. Myriad of different colours joining together at alarmingly fast rates. Very dizzy. She closed her eyes again in fear of falling. Nausea. She felt sick. How much longer was this going to last? Dizzy still. She still held both devices. She still envisioned the Doctor's face.

Dizzy. Still dizzy. When would it stop? Sick. She was going to be sick. Suddenly, another _shift_. She felt herself falling, landing on a hard surface, feeling something tear at her arm. She opened her eyes. The sky was swirling. She closed her eyes again. _Wait..._

She opened her eyes again. There it was. The sky. She was back on Earth. She had made it. She was about to cry out with joy, but the nausea prevented her from doing so. She made it to all fours, and released the contents of her stomach. Bleugh. Vomit looked disgusting.

She raised her head weakly, spitting and hacking, when she felt a pain in her arm. She glanced at her arm. Blood was pouring from a cut, and, from the feel of it, the cut was pretty deep. About to grasp her arm, she stopped as she remembered the devices still in her hands. She had to find the Doctor.

"Doctor!" she called.

No answer. "Doctor!"

Again, no answer. Didn't Phantom say that the Doctor would be near? "Doctor!"

This time, she heard a sound that made her heart come out of her chest. It was the TARDIS. The TARDIS. The Doctor _was _nearby. _The Doctor_ was nearby!

Scrambling to her feet, the dizziness making her pause for a second, she glanced around. She was on the corner of a street, one that she didn't recognise, but she could tell she was in London. The faint view of the Big Ben sort of gave that away.

The TARDIS continued to make its sound, but the sound was growing fainter. "Doctor!" she shouted, running towards the sound. Emerging on a different street, she sprinted towards the shape of the TARDIS, the TARDIS that was slowly fading from view. Dematerialising. He was leaving.

"Doctor!" Rose yelled. "I'm over here!"

The TARDIS continued to disappear. "Doctor!" she repeated, continuing to sprint forward. The TARDIS kept fading. Fading... _fainter, fainter..._

"Doctor!!" she screamed.

Too late. The TARDIS was gone.

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TBC...

_A/N_

_Oh, no! Another cliffie!_

_I made a boo-boo. I told you all that the Doctor would return in around the eighth chapter. Oops. I meant the sixth. I had to cut down on some chapters because the dot-point summaries I had weren't long enough for a whole chapter. Anyway, if you go to my profile page, you'll understand what I mean._

_You like?_

_I hope this chapter was understood. If you didn't understand it, re-read Chappy 2 (as I said at the beginning of this chappy)._

_This chapter was regretfully short, but, well, you know. Stuff happens._

_I need to thank __**Talia-taylor**__ for pointing out a mistake I made in the previous chapter. Needless to say, it's been fixed. If anyone else noticed, you have my congratulations._

_Onto the thanking people: _

_Thanks to all that reviewed. Your reviews make my day: __**QuiteRightToo, Wanabee, Talia-Taylor, x-EmilyTennant-x, CSITribe, VampMistress **__and__** Tigris T Draconis.**_

_Huge, huge thankyou to those that put this story on favourites:_ _**Wanabee, **__**VampMistress, **__**Talia-Taylor, **__**Rosie-Jess, **__**QuiteRightToo, **__**Queen of the Jelly Babies, **__**Kaia-S **__and __**I**__**'mTheMasterOfWhatever.**_

_Lots of cheering and a big hug for those that put me as their favourite author:_ **_I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, __Mara Jade Snape, __QuiteRightToo, __Rosie-Jess, _**_**Talia-Taylor **and__**VampMistress.**_

_Once again, another thankyou to those that put this story on story alert- not going to list, there are too many. Thankyou also to the many people who put me on their author alert list._

_You guys make me soooo happy! Thankyou!_

_Anyway, here's hoping that the next chapter will come out soon._

_Cheers!_

_SnowFox3_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **Yes. I own Doctor Who. In my ever-optimistic dreams.

_If you're not a sarcasm-oriented person, ignore the sentence above. Anyway, I'm not a doctor, so if I got anything wrong in this chapter, feel free to point it out._

_Also, if you don't like Martha/Rose friendship, I suggest you leave. Now. Although that would be a waste… you'd miss a good story!_

_Onward ho! Reading we go!_

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Martha Jones sighed with a small smile as she sat at the table with her parents- Francine and Clive- who had finally decided to forgo their differences and sit together for a meal. Her sister, Tish, and her brother, Leo, were also there. It was a whole family gathering, just after the 'year that never happened'.

It wasn't long after she had walked out on the Doctor. She couldn't fully define her feelings. She was definitely sad- having ditched the person she fell in love with. She felt relief- ditching said person would allow her to move on with her life. She felt happy- because her father and mother, after years of arguments and separate living arrangements, had finally realised they were great together, and had started a new relationship.

She felt guilty- all the Doctor had gained- well, lost- from the 'year that never was' was the death of his old friend, yet mortal enemy- the Master. Repeating that word in her head even gave her shivers.

The obvious insanity and cruelty of the Master she had never before seen- and she was almost a doctor; she had researched on cases such as this in order to better diagnose her patients. And none that she had researched were as bad as the Master. Although, she supposed, nothing could compare to an insane lord of time that could control futuristic orb-monsters intent on world destruction.

But they had stopped him. Her, and the Doctor, had stopped the Master. She felt triumph over this, but she knew the Doctor didn't. Losing your friend, after all, would never be easy. Ever. And the Doctor had lost the mysterious Rose, too; now another death was heavy on his subconscious. Martha only could hope that this death wouldn't break him.

When she had first met him, she believed he was an eccentric, crazy yet brave persona, with gleaming eyes, glowing smile, and a wicked kiss. But, as she had grown to know the sides of himself that he chose to share with her, she realised that was all wrong. He wasn't eccentric- he was in pain. And, as all doctors knew, a form of dealing with pain- psychological pain- was to forget about it by forming something new. And that something was the eccentricity. He wasn't crazy- he was lost. Searching for someone he'd never see again that he loved was bound to take its toll.

And Martha had seen him upset; his eyes would grow dark, so much so that the pupil could barely be seen. On the occasions that the Doctor had been like that, Martha had been truly, honestly _afraid _of him. The Doctor with nothing to lose was a Doctor you didn't want to cross paths with.

He _was_ brave though; he just did not see it that way. His smile; it was always real. Never faked. This meant, sometimes, that the Doctor would appear surly all day because he hadn't been able to muster up a smile. But when he did smile, his entire face lighted up, in a way that made Martha feel overjoyed.

The kiss they had shared. That was a tough one. On one hand, the Doctor had told her it was for the ultimate survival on everyone aboard the hospital –_aboard the hospital_- how weird was that? And the Doctor was telling the truth. The Doctor also didn't care about Martha the same way he did Rose, but to him, she was still a friend.

To her, he was the love that _had_ to turn into friend, for the sake of keeping the friendship. If there was one thing Martha could say about the Doctor, he was _loyal_. You make friends with him, you stay friends till the end.

But for Rose, she thought, slightly jealously, he was the love. Rose and the Doctor; purely in love with each other. In some ways she was envious of 'Rose', who had taken the Doctor out of any romantic equations. In other ways, she was glad the Doctor had someone.

Martha's only wish was that she could meet Rose.

Just as she had thought that, she heard the sounds of the Doctor's TARDIS dematerialising. And, soon after the first _whoosh-dong _sound, she heard another- a voice, strained, but yelling 'Doctor!' anyway.

Martha rose quickly from her chair, almost knocking it over in her haste to get to the window, ignoring the questioning looks her family gave to her. Peering out, she caught sight of a young woman with blonde hair running desperately towards the ever-fading TARDIS along the empty street.

"Doctor!" the voice called again, "I'm over here!"

Martha frowned, confused. Did the Doctor know this person? She squinted, trying to get a closer view of the woman who was attempting to stop the Doctor. The woman had her blonde hair in a ponytail that was half out; hair was spilling everywhere, in her eyes and over her face, but the strange woman didn't seem to notice. Her left sleeve had a gaping hole in it, which was covered in a red, flowing substance. _Blood_.

Martha's doctor side took hold, and she left the window, opting instead to run to the door and pull it open. From that position, she could easily see the woman sprinting towards the TARDIS.

"Doctor!" the woman yelled again.

Martha's heart ached towards this person, whoever she was. It was a lost cause, and Martha knew it. The Doctor and his TARDIS were leaving. And there was nothing that the woman could do.

But the woman still tried. One last desperate scream of the Doctor's name echoed around the desolate street as the TARDIS finally left the Earth.

Then the woman collapsed on the harsh black road where the TARDIS had once been, hands angrily pounding the ground. Martha immediately took action.

Running to the distraught body, Martha called out, "Hey. Hey. It's alright."

The woman chose not to listen. Still angrily pounding the ground, Martha had to grab the poor person's arms to stop her from harming herself- although Martha was careful not to further damage whatever had caused the bloodied sleeve.

"Hey," Martha tried to calm her down. "Hey, I'm a doctor. It's okay."

For the first time, the woman paid attention to what was going on around her. "You're not _the_ Doctor," the woman cried, still upset.

Martha's eyes widened. So this woman, whoever she was, _did_ know the Doctor. When the person let out another cry of loss and swayed alarmingly, Martha knew she had to do something, and _fast_. "I know the Doctor," Martha told her. "I know the Doctor, and I can bring him back."

The woman turned her head to stare at Martha. "You do?" she asked.

But Martha wasn't paying attention. The eyes… the woman's eyes… shaded brown… looked exactly like the Doctor's. Lost. Hurt. Lonely.

"What's your name?" Martha asked, her inner turmoil luckily not piercing her exterior.

The woman didn't reply, only continued to stare at Martha with glazed eyes, and that was when Martha began to take a catalogue of the woman's symptoms.

Glazed eyes. Blood on arm- Martha looked closer. Deep cut on left arm. That was probably because of the other symptoms, rather than with them. The smell lingering over the woman- she must have vomited recently. Thus, nausea. The woman was swaying. Dizziness

Concussion? Martha moved her fingers above the eyes of the woman. No. The woman responded. So… what?

Drugs? That would explain the glazed eyes, the dizziness and the nausea. Martha felt the woman's head. No fever. If the woman had drugs, and it was this bad a reaction, the woman most likely would have had a fever. Martha put that diagnosis to the back of her mind.

Pulse. Check for a pulse. Martha placed two fingers on the carotid artery of the woman. Fast pulse. Slightly uneven. Temperature- normal, maybe slightly elevated. That could be explained by the exercise the woman had just been doing.

Fast respiration rate. The woman _was_ breathing harshly, but that could be, also, explained by the running the person had been doing. The woman suddenly gasped, and her eyes focused on Martha's face.

"Okay," Martha started, "Are you with me?"

"Yeah," came a small, hoarse whisper.

"Right. What happened?"

The woman, as if realising what she had been previously doing, brushed the hair out of her face sheepishly. "Nothin' much," was the reply.

Martha sighed. "Look, I know about the aliens. I know about the Doctor. I'm friends with the Doctor. You can talk to me."

The woman stared at her in surprise. "I-I went through a portal-thing, and it sort of made me dizzy. I came out, chucked up, and cut myself somehow along the way."

Martha nodded to herself. "Vortex manipulator?" she asked sympathetically.

"What?" the woman said.

"Sorry. Was it a Time transporter?"

"No," the woman said, before elaborating. "More like universe transporter."

Martha's eyes widened. "You're from a different universe?" Martha questioned, shocked.

"No!" she denied. "No, not really. I'm… from this universe. I just got stuck in another one."

"And you know the Doctor…" Martha whispered to herself, putting the pieces together. The separation. The lost love in each of their eyes. "What's your name?" Martha asked her, someone apprehensive of the answer.

"Rose."

Martha exhaled, loudly and with a lot of emotion.

"Why?" Rose asked.

"Y-you… you're Rose?" Martha tried to process it.

"Yeah, I am. Why?"

"The Doctor… he misses you." Inwardly, Martha snorted. What kind of answer was that? Oh yeah, the person you love misses you. Quickly, she elaborated. "He... really, really misses you."

"Oh, yeah?" Rose grinned happily for a second, before grimacing and clutching her arm. "Ouch," she cursed.

"Let me take a look," Martha ordered.

Rose obligingly held her arm out. Martha moved the torn pieces of cloth from Rose's wound, and scrutinised it. "You'll need stitches," Martha told her.

"Oh, don't worry, I got that part," Rose smiled up at her, and Martha couldn't help smiling back. This Rose, who Martha had put an imaginary face towards, was nothing like the Rose she had expected. The real Rose was a lot kinder than Martha had given her credit for, and she felt a tinge of guilt as she stared at the Doctor's love.

"I'll drive you to the hospital," Martha suggested.

"No!" Rose exclaimed. "No. You're a doctor, right?"

"Well, almost," Martha answered. "But I still need-"

"Could you fix my arm up here?" Rose requested, hopefully. "Now?"

Martha, appreciating but not fully understanding Rose's circumstances, nodded. "Yeah, alright. On one condition."

"Yeah?"

"You clean yourself up at my place," Martha told her. "Change of clothes, have a meal, I'll fix up your arm for you, then I'll call the Doctor and get him to come back."

"You can do that?" Rose asked. Then she paused. "The Doctor doesn't have a phone."

"Now he does. I gave him mine," Martha informed her.

"And he agreed to it?" Rose sounded surprised, and Martha grinned despite herself.

"I didn't give him a chance to say no," Martha told her.

Rose nodded. "Smart. You know him well." Then Rose inspected Martha closely, something in her words making Rose curious.

Martha's eyes widened. "No, no. Nothing like that. I'm just a friend. Nothing more."

Rose relaxed slightly, and looked embarrassed. "Am I that obvious?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. I can understand." Martha tried desperately to remove all jealous feelings she harboured towards Rose. They wouldn't do her any good, and besides. Rose and Martha could become friends, if given the chance. And Martha didn't want to screw up a friendship because of a crush on the Doctor that wouldn't go away.

Martha stood up, realising only then that she had fallen to her knees to see if Rose was alright. She looked down at her black pants, noticing with disappointment they had been stained. She rubbed them, trying half-heartedly to get the marks off, yet knowing they wouldn't come off. Martha sighed.

"Sorry 'bout that," Rose apologised to her, pointing to the pants.

"Wasn't your fault," Martha replied off-handed. She glanced at Rose again, taking in the pale face and tense posture- her arm really must be hurting. "Can you stand?" Martha asked her.

"I think so, yeah," Rose replied. Using her right hand, she laboured to unsteady feet, and grinned at Martha upon standing. "See?"

Martha led Rose to her door. Francine was waiting there, a confused look upon her face. "Who is she?" Francine asked her daughter.

Martha smiled weakly. "A friend of the Doctor's."

Rose glanced at Martha with eyes narrowed in thought, but didn't speak.

Martha's mother nodded then spoke, beckoning to the cut on Rose's arm. "How bad is the cut?" she asked.

"Nothing that stitches wouldn't fix," Rose told Francine with a grin. "It's alright if I stay here for awhile, right?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Francine glanced at Martha, "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Martha nodded, and they both moved out of range of Rose's ears, while she watched them with something akin to jealousy in her eyes.

"Martha, why don't you take her to a hospital? She's really pale."

Martha thought quickly. The reason Rose hadn't wanted to go to the hospital had to have something to do with the Doctor, and Martha _did_ want to know why, but she was going to give Rose a chance to recover first.

"She used a transporter- thing to get her here, and because of that the doctors at the hospital would not understand some of her symptoms." There. That seemed a good enough excuse, Martha hoped.

And it was. Francine nodded and said, "Make sure she's okay. But Martha, you can't bring strangers into the house just because they know the Doctor, okay?"

"Alright," Martha agreed.

"So this never happens again?"

"Yeah," Martha nodded, and began walking towards Rose, feeling her mother's inquisitive eyes boring holes in her back. "C'mon," Martha said to Rose, "Let's go get you fixed up."

"Fine with me!" Rose followed Martha into an adjoining room, eyes widening at the sterile floor, walls and one stretcher in the middle. "Why…?" Rose questioned, looking around.

"I work at the hospital nearby. But, a couple of months before I met the Doctor, the hospital had a mass epidemic. There were people everywhere, clogging the halls, so the administrator asked for some of us to donate some rooms. And, so, it's never changed since then. We haven't really been bothered to change it."

"Oh." Rose looked around, before making her way to the hospital bed and jumping up to land with a small thump on the bed. She held her left hand out as Martha walked around the room to the cupboard, picking out some items that she would need.

Martha walked back to Rose. "Alright, I'm going to numb the area, okay? You'll feel the needle."

"Yeah." Rose grimaced slightly as the needle went in, watching it the whole time. "Does it need to be cleaned?" Rose asked her.

"Yeah, it does," Martha picked up something else. "This may sting a bit."

Rose nodded, this time wincing as, Martha knew, a stinging sensation washed through her arm. "What's your name?" Rose asked her.

Martha felt a flash of embarrassment. "Sorry. My name's Martha."

"Martha," Rose said. "How do you know the Doctor?"

Martha sighed. Continuing to put sutures into Rose's arm, she recounted how the Doctor and herself met, wisely keeping out the part with the kiss. By the end, Rose was laughing aloud.

"That's great!" Rose chortled. "Just like the Doctor! Hospital on the moon!"

Martha smiled. "Yeah, it was pretty cool. Seeing Earth from a hospital on the moon; that doesn't happen every day!"

"And Rhino-police!"

Martha laughed. "Yeah, they were sort of scary. But they helped out in the end. What was really scary, though, was the evil blood-sucking lady."

Rose nodded. "I'm sure."

Martha patted Rose's arm. "There you go! Done."

"Great!" Rose exclaimed, getting up, before paling slightly and falling back onto the bed. "Whoa…"

"Dizzy?" Martha asked.

"Little bit, yeah. Probably nothing though, don't worry about it."

Martha wasn't fully convinced, but agreed anyway. "I'll get you a change of clothes, shall I?"

Rose inclined her head. "That'd be great, thanks."

Martha got up and motioned Rose to follow her. They walked up a flight of stairs, reaching a room. "Is this your room?" Rose asked.

"Nah. Lost my room when the Prime Minister tried to blow us up."

Rose's eyes widened. "That's going to be a story. What happened?"

Martha began rummaging through a drawer. "The Prime Minister was really an evil Time Lord called the Master that was trying to take over the world," she told Rose.

Rose gave a little jolt of surprise. "The Master?!"

"Yeah. He got shot. The Doctor felt really guilty about it."

Rose shook her head in denial, making Martha stop fumbling and stare at Rose with confusion. "Why?" Martha asked.

Rose looked down, and to Martha's shock, she had tears pooling in her eyes. "He told me he had been obsessed… I didn't expect him to…"

Martha's eyes widened this time. "Did you know him?!" she exclaimed.

"Not this universe," Rose told her, placating. "In the universe I was trapped in. He helped me get back."

"Don't trust him," Martha told her firmly. "He'll kill you."

"No, he won't," Rose denied. "He _helped_ me. A lot. And he told me he was doing it for the Doctor."

Martha's eyes grew further. "He just wants to kill the Doctor! He doesn't care about anyone but himself! Trust me, don't believe him."

Rose looked up at Martha. "The Master I know has to be different, then. Because I saw him. I was there. And he _was_ guilty."

Martha took note of the pure sincerity in Rose's eyes. "Okay, I trust you. I just hope you can live with it if you're wrong."

"I'm not wrong," Rose said stubbornly.

Martha went back to poking through her mother's drawer. Good thing that Martha had left some of her spare clothes here. She pulled out some black pants, like the ones she was wearing, and a pale pink singlet top. "Here," Martha handed Rose the clothes.

"Thanks," Rose said, then paused. "Where can I get changed?"

"In the bathroom," Martha told her, showing her where the bathroom was. "You should take a shower too, no offence."

Rose smiled. "I will." She walked past Martha and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her, before opening it again and peering at Martha. "Thank you. For this."

"No problem," Martha grinned at her. Rose closed the bathroom door again, and Martha sighed, leaning against the wall. As much as Martha was warming to Rose, it was taking a lot out of her. Not telling Rose that Martha _was_ in love with the Doctor was hard to accomplish. Rose was pretty smart, and observant. She had probably already guessed.

Martha snorted. So she had met the person whom the Doctor loved. It just wasn't how she expected. Not at all. But she respected Rose, Martha could tell that already. Rose, who had been trapped in another universe, had made her way back, just so she could be with the Doctor. If that wasn't love and loyalty, Martha didn't know what it was.

But how had that all happened in the first place? How had Rose ended up trapped on a parallel universe? According to science, it was possible, just extraordinarily hard. And why couldn't the Doctor get to Rose beforehand? It was all a huge puzzle, one Martha wanted desperately to figure out. But she knew it was quite likely that she'd never find out; that she'd be left in the dark forever.

Even so, Rose deserved to be with the Doctor. Martha reached down, and drew out her mother's phone- Francine had given it to her once she had explained why she had given her old mobile to the Doctor. Fingering it gently, she opened it, and went straight to the contacts. _Martha Jones_, it said, plainly. She hovered her fingers over the call button, pulling back, moving forward again, and pulling back again. If she did this… it would be the end of any possibilities of herself and the Doctor. But it was bound to end anyway, right?

Martha pressed the call button and raised the phone with a trembling hand to her ear.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

TBC…

_Yes, I know. Real nice of me to end it there, huh? Oh well. And you all got that this chapter was just after the goodbye between Martha and the Doctor in 'Last of the Time Lords', right? Yeah. Of course you did. And I hope that the interaction between Rose and Martha was believable._

_Okay, gotta be quick, going out soon._

_Time for the thankyou's:_

_To all that reviewed: huge cheers and thanks: __**Tigris T Draconis**, **QuiteRightToo**, **NewDoctorWhoFan** (who reviewed chaps 2-4), **Talia-Taylor**, **gaiafreedom21, CSITribe**, **x-EmilyTennant-x**, **gaia-x-goddess **and** M64.**_

_To those that put this story on favourites: you're the best! Thanks so much:_ _**I'mTheMasterOfWhatever**, **Kaia-S**, **QuiteRightToo**, **Rosie-Jess**, **Sunny angel**, **Talia-Taylor**, **The Chibi's Are Stalking Me**, **VampMistress**, **VampMistress**, **Wanabee**, **gaiafreedom21 **and** jimmybeam.**_

_To the people (I'm assuming we're all human) who put me as a favourite author, thankyou deeply and a huge hug: __**I'mTheMasterOfWhatever**, **Mara Jade Snape**, **QuiteRightToo**, **Rosie-Jess**, **Talia-Taylor **and** VampMistress.**_

_Thankyou all! You make my day!_

_Anywho, I'll be able to update soon, once again, but you'll have to wait until after Christmas. Oh, and that reminds me:_

_Merry Christmas!_

_SnowFox3_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Doctor Who. If you need me to crack a joke in order for you to understand this, please, head to the nearest hospital and check yourself in.

_Sarcasm is present in the above sentence._

_Anyway, this chapter- for all of you- is finally including the Doctor. And Rose. It's reunion time, folks! _

_Read on!_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rose gave herself a brief look-over in the mirror. Apart from appearing a little pale and having a row of stitches down her arm, she looked fine. She felt much better, too. The shower had done her a world of good.

The dizziness from the portal had completely subsided, along with the urge to throw up. Her arm was throbbing, but it wasn't that bad, and she could ignore it for the time being.

She still couldn't believe it, though. At first she had been jealous that the Doctor had just replaced and forgotten her, but then Martha had told her about how the Doctor and Martha met- and how the Doctor had mentioned her, _a lot_.

Knowing this had made her feel giddily happy. The Doctor did care about her, and he _didn't _forget her- like he had done to Sarah Jane. He really _did_ care. And he _did_ miss her. She reached up to pat down a sliver of her blonde hair that had been sticking out, and sighed happily. This was the first time for almost a year where she could look into a mirror and see herself, truly, honestly, happy. But she knew- it'd get better when she could see the Doctor again.

Emerging from the bathroom, she looked around, wondering if Martha would still be upstairs waiting for her. No one was there.

She spotted the stairs, and made her way over to them, while curiously surveying the hallway in which she was in. Not extraordinarily clean, but not very dirty, either. There was a plant resting comfortably against the wall, a picture hanging on the wall on the opposite side. In that picture was a younger version of Martha- not much, maybe a couple of years younger, a girl looking very similar to Martha, and an older male person, all wearing identical smiles. _Family?_

Probably. Siblings, she'd guess. Rose recognised the two people who weren't Martha; they had been downstairs. She felt a flash of guilt. Had she intruded on a family reunion or something? Because, although Martha's mother- at least, she thought the person had been Martha's mother- hadn't been too happy to see a new figure in the household.

And there was Martha herself. Martha, the strange woman who had helped Rose when Rose had been -_slightly_- out of it. She didn't know how to react to Martha at first; however, she had come to like Martha, despite knowing her for only half an hour- or something around those lines.

There was one thing she couldn't understand, though. Martha- when she had first realised who Rose was, had looked almost _jealous_. Rose didn't know why- but she sure could guess. Was Martha jealous because Rose had returned? Was she jealous because the Doctor would- quite possibly- pay less attention to Martha? Or was she jealous because she was being forced into helping someone she didn't want to?

Or, maybe Rose was mistaken, and Martha wasn't jealous. Didn't really matter, either way. Rose _liked_ Martha. And thus, anything Rose may or may not have seen flash in Martha's eyes was irrelevant.

Rose turned away from the picture, and began to walk down the stairs. As soon as she reached the bottom step, she could see Martha, leaning against the wall with her head down. Rose narrowed her eyes in thought.

"Where are the rest of your family?" Rose enquired.

Martha shot a glance at Rose. "They're in another room," Martha told Rose, and Rose frowned at the hoarseness of Martha's voice. She squinted close at Martha's face.

Martha looked tired. Defeated. Exhausted. What had Martha done?

"You okay?" Rose asked Martha, walking over to her.

Martha looked up, something glistening in her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Rose replied, wanting suddenly to get to the bottom of this. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Martha told her, before elaborating. "I rang the Doctor. He's coming now."

Rose managed a grin of complete and utter relief, but that smiled dimmed as she realised Martha still didn't seem cheerful. Which meant that Martha hadn't wanted to ring the Doctor. "Why are you tired?" Rose chose to ask.

"Long day," Martha answered immediately.

"Not what I meant," Rose said, deciding at that moment to question Martha about the flash Rose had seen in Martha's eyes. "You looked jealous, before… why?"

Martha looked down again, and Rose could tell she was thinking hard.

"I-I… you really don't want to know," Martha whispered.

"Why?" Rose narrowed her eyes again, trying to decipher what clues she had been given. Like a light bulb, she realised, and stared at Martha with a gasp of surprise. "Y-you… you _like_ him, don't you?" Rose wasn't often one to be rude, but that was all she could manage, her shock making her temporarily lose control of her thoughts and speech. Martha _liked_ the Doctor. Martha had _lied _to her! Or, Rose realised, she hadn't told her everything.

Martha glanced at Rose. "Yeah, I do," Martha admitted, "But I wasn't going to let it go anywhere!"

Rose continued to stare at Martha, trying to determine if what Martha was saying was completely honest.

"I mean it," Martha convinced her. "I would've told you if it was a big deal."

Rose knew Martha's statement wasn't true, but she could also tell the desperation in which she said it- and Rose deduced one thing. Martha didn't want this new information to affect their newly-formed friendship. Quite frankly, Rose didn't blame her. She had found it increasingly hard to stay friends with Mickey after all that had happened with the Doctor, but eventually they managed to find some sort of truce- a _new_ friendship in replacement of the old one. It wasn't the same, but they were still friends, and that was what mattered, right?

"I know you would've," Rose lied back. Rose knew that Martha could tell what Rose said was also a lie, because Martha's eyes widened, in relief or gratitude Rose couldn't tell. Either way, Martha was grateful.

"Thanks," Martha said, eyes still glistening.

"So..." Rose trailed off. She hated silences- and awkward ones especially. This was an awkward silence, brought about by two people loving the same person. One was destined to get him. The other understood this, but had tried to hide her feelings, in order to keep person number one happy.

Rose shifted slightly, her mind registering revelation. Martha had told her something, admitted something to an almost complete stranger. And she had admitted it willingly. Suddenly, all thoughts of anger revolving around Rose about Martha vanished, replaced with guilt. Martha had given up her chance to be with the Doctor by calling the Doctor, and asking him to return. Martha had given up her chance at _love_ to a person she had met less than an _hour_ ago. And abruptly, Rose decided that Martha needed something in repayment.

"Ask me anything," Rose told Martha.

Martha's eyes widened as she stared at Rose with surprise. "W-what?" Martha queried, confused.

Rose elaborated, slightly. "You told me something, I'll tell you something. Ask me anything." Rose knew it was probably completely idiotic to open herself up like that, but at the moment she couldn't care less. She _owed_ Martha.

Martha stopped, thinking hard. Rose could almost see the thoughts buzzing around her head like bees to honey.

"How'd... Why'd you leave the Doctor?" Martha asked her, looking directly into Rose's brown eyes.

Rose sighed. So it _had_ been a bad idea to open herself up for questioning. But she had said she'd answer, so that's what she was going to do. "It was... well, did you know about the Canary Warf fiasco?"

Martha nodded. "Yeah, my cousin died because of it," Martha glanced down in sadness.

"I'm sorry," Rose comforted.

Martha shook her head, as if to clear it, and said, "Continue, please..."

"Well," Rose had no idea how to phrase this. "There were things called Daleks-"

"I've met them!" Martha intervened.

"-and Cybermen-"

"Haven't met them," Martha said in retrospect.

"And they were trying to destroy the world," Rose stated blandly, as if impending world doom was a daily occurrence- which, granted, it probably was. "Anyway, the Daleks had come from a place called _the void_- which is, uh, the gap between universes."

"Like space between planets?" Martha guessed.

"Sort of. The Doctor told me it was timeless, and _empty_. And dark," Rose explained.

"But... wait... if you had to get to this universe from another one, you'd need to cross it, wouldn't you?"

"Well, yeah... but that's yet _another_ long story," Rose grinned.

Martha chuckled at that. "Complicated?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that." Rose laughed along with her, before sobering and continuing with her story. "Well, they had managed to bring Cybermen along with them- the Cybermen were from the alternate universe that I was on. And to get them away from Earth, we needed to suck them back into the void."

"How?"

"There was this... I don't know... space-gunk stuff that you had stuck on you if you'd been out of this universe..."

"Residue?" Martha guessed.

"Yeah, residue," Rose agreed. "Well, if the void was opened up, all things with the residue on them would get sucked back. And the Doctor and I had been in another universe before- the same universe as the Cybermen, and so we both had the residue on us."

Martha opened her mouth to interrupt, but closed it again, for which Rose was grateful for. Retelling this story wasn't easy, for sure.

"Well, we were holding onto something so we wouldn't fall in, and... well, I lost my grip."

"So you fell into the void?" Martha clarified, questioning.

"No..." Rose looked for words to explain. "Someone from the alternate universe used a transporter-"

"Like the one you used to get here?" Martha asked, pointing to the two devices that rested on shelves near the staircase.

"No... This one would only work if the void was opened on both universes."

"Oh. Right."

"Like I was saying, someone- my father- came through and caught me, then transported back to the other universe. The Doctor told me that there was no way I could get back, because the opening of the void would destroy both universes."

Martha paused to process the information. "Then, how...?"

"Time Lords found me," Rose announced. "And they built a different device to get through the void." Rose pointed to the bigger of the two devices.

Martha walked over to it, picking it up and staring at it in blatant fascination. "How does it work?"

"All I was told," Rose said, "Was that it worked by making my body a 'bubble'- a small one, at that- but a bubble all the same- to be transported through the void directly."

"But... weren't the Daleks... and the Cybermen... still in the void?"

"Yeah." Where was this going?

"How'd you get past them?" Martha asked her.

Rose frowned. "I don't know. Programming of the transporter, I s'pose."

"Probably, yeah," Martha agreed.

There was another pause. This time, though, it wasn't awkward- which Rose was happy about.

"Do you want anything?" Martha asked Rose. "Drink? Tea? Coffee? Water?"

"Nah, I'm fine, thanks," Rose replied. She was staring at the door, watching out for any sign of the Doctor, and listening out for any sound of the TARDIS. It still hadn't sunk in yet. The whole situation seemed unreal, and it felt to Rose as if she was in a dream. But she was too scared to pinch herself- if this _was_ a dream, she didn't much want to wake up.

She was on the edge of her seat- metaphorically- and couldn't wait until she saw the Doctor's face again, glimpsed his warm smile, hugged his perfectly fitting body. She loved the Doctor- and she hoped the Doctor loved her back.

Now she began to get nervous. What if he saw her and got angry? Or what if he walked back out, leaving her? All that trouble, all the hassle of getting to this universe, saying goodbye to her family, what if that was all for nothing? What if-

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as Martha's mother's door burst open, and in a flurry of movement the Doctor was standing in front of her, brown coat flapping wildly, holding in his fist the buzzing sonic screwdriver, which was- of all things- pointing directly at Rose's face. Rose could only blink in shock.

Lonely brown eyes met lonely brown eyes.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was like a western stand-off, Martha thought to herself as she surveyed the Doctor and Rose eyeing each other with surprise. That surprise turned to shock. Then shock turned to disbelief.

"Doctor?" Rose asked, desperate to know what reply she'd receive.

The Doctor turned to Martha, and Martha took a step back, terrified of the absolute fury emanating from the Doctor. "Martha?" the Doctor snarled. "What's this?"

"It's me," Rose said, desperate. "It's Rose!"

Martha glanced at Rose again, watching with dismay the tears of hurt beginning to fill Rose's eyes. And suddenly, Martha felt Rose's complete and utter despair. Rose had returned, going through God knows what, and the Doctor dismissed her. Just like that.

"Doctor..." Rose whispered.

The Doctor glanced at her. "Rose?" said in complete denial.

Rose smiled, a tear falling down her face and landing on the floor. "Yeah."

"Rose?" the Doctor whispered, and Martha could tell he was still in disbelief.

"Yeah," Rose whispered back. "It's me."

"But..." the Doctor murmured. "It's _impossible_..."

"Never say never ever, remember?" Rose smiled again, another tear making a track down her face and falling of her cheek. _Plop_, as it landed on the floor.

"Rose?!" the Doctor exclaimed, lowering the sonic screwdriver for the first time.

"Hello!" Rose greeted.

"Rose!"

It all happened quickly after that. In a rush of feet and arms and the flapping of a coat, Rose and the Doctor were suddenly joined, hugging as if their lives depended on it.

Martha almost gave a happy sigh at the sight. Rose, although she was crying into the Doctor's jacket, looked happy- no, _ecstatic_. The Doctor, clinging to Rose, had one tear of astonishment, shock and joy running down his face, which ending up buried in Rose's blonde hair. Then the Doctor picked Rose up and swung her around, making the two laugh with surprise and relief and delight and a million other things no human could hope to define. But overall, with _love_.

Martha fully comprehended at that moment how much the two cared for each other. The amount of devotion echoing around the room was radiating from the Doctor and Rose in equal quantities. And this devotion- or the sense of devotion- completely removed any other tension from the room. Except for one thing.

Martha still felt jealous. And for that, she hated herself. But she knew- there was no chance- _ever_- of the Doctor staring at her like he did Rose. _Never_. And while that broke her heart, she was still glad- _proud_- that she had the willpower to completely shatter her own voice in order to give someone else's a chance.

Apparently, the Doctor agreed too. Martha blinked, finding herself out of the maze of her thoughts, and into the grateful brown eyes of one Doctor.

The Doctor surveyed her for what seemed like ages, probably taking in her rumpled exterior- and shattered heart- and pride in herself. "You're a good person, Martha Jones," he told her, completely honest, placing his hand on her shoulder.

She savoured the feel of his warm hand against her shoulder, knowing that it was most likely the last time she would see him- be alone with him- and be with Rose. Martha placed her hand where the Doctor's had been, taking her last chance to wish for something different to have occurred. A dream. Dream. Meaning- 'A wild fantasy or hope'. One that would not ever come true. That era had long since faded. Maybe it was time to wake up.

For when she looked upwards again, the Doctor and Rose were gone.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

TBC...

_A/N_

_G'day all!_

_I had to write this like that... I needed to add Martha in, and I needed to have that last... y'know... longing when Martha's involved. I quite like how this chapter turned out though, despite the fact that it is shorter than normal. I hope y'all enjoyed it._

_Finally. A sixth chapter. Five has to be my unlucky number- for some reason, writing any story's sixth chapter is incredibly hard to accomplish. But I have! Ha ha! Yes!_

_Right then. Time to thank people, yeah?_

_Thanks heaps for the fantastic reviews (I'm glad you all liked how I portrayed Martha and Rose in the previous chapter): __**Talia-Taylor**,** JeMS7**, **VampMistress**, **White Purity**, **Tigerprime**, **QuiteRightToo**,** gaiafreedom21**, **MythStar Black Dragon **and** x-EmilyTennant-x.**_

_Thankyou to everyone (big, huge hugs) who put this story on their favourites:_ _**Draco167**, **DramaQueen1133**,** I'mTheMasterOfWhatever**, **JeMS7**,** Kaia-S**, **QuiteRightToo**,** Rosie-Jess**, **Sunny angel**, **Talia-Taylor**, **The Chibi's Are Stalking Me**, **Tigerprime**, **VampMistress**, **Wanabee**, **gaiafreedom21 **and** jimmybeam.**_

_A huge thankyou and a life-sized David Tennant huggable plushy to all those that put me on their favourite author list:__** Draco167**,** I'mTheMasterOfWhatever**,** Johnny-B-reading**,** Mara Jade Snape**, **QuiteRightToo**, **Rosie-Jess**,** Talia-Taylor **and** VampMistress.**_

_And, last but not least, thanks to all those that added this story to story alerts, and adding me to their author alerts._

_Seriously. I love you guys._

_Thanks again,_

_SnowFox3_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **It isn't mine, mate! I don't own it, mate! I make no money from it, mate!

_Hello! Here we go. This chapter- the Doctor is back. Oh, and if you get confused with the explanation the Doctor gives- it'll be explained at the end._

_Forward!_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rose couldn't stop the stupidly huge grin that spread around her visage as she followed the Doctor- well, not really followed- more like trying to keep up- and stared with delight at the view of her hand and the Doctor's hand clasped in a tight embrace.

"Back to the TARDIS?" Rose asked, the grin still there.

"Yep," the Doctor replied, just as exuberantly. "You missed out on a lot, Rose Tyler! Gotta catch up!"

Rose could do nothing but smile as he led her into- _back to_- her home- the TARDIS. Smile as he turned around upon entering the TARDIS, giving her another hug, warm and comforting. Smile as he grabbed her hand and led her to the controls.

And then he turned to her, wearing a cute pouting frown on his face. "What's with the clothes?" he asked.

She looked down, realising that she'd forgotten about wearing a different set of clothes- Martha's clothes. "These are Martha's," she told him.

The Doctor's face remained in that confused position. "Why? Why are you wearing Martha's clothes?"

"I got my clothes all bloody," Rose explained to him, showing him the row of stitches on her upper left arm, and almost grinning at the abrupt change on his face from confusion to concern. The Doctor touched the stitches gingerly, a fleeting touch that almost made Rose shiver.

"Well, we'll need to get that fixed, won't we?" the Doctor exclaimed suddenly, making Rose jump in surprise. "Allons-y!"

He grabbed her hand, the right hand, and led her through the maze of the TARDIS and into the medical lab. Here, the Doctor pushed her gently onto the med-table, and began rummaging through a drawer opposite said table.

"What're you doing?" Rose questioned, the smile still not leaving her face- it still hadn't fully sunk in yet.

"I'm looking for something to remove those stupid inventions of human doctors!" the Doctor told her. "Stupid stitches! Make it harder to let me at it!"

"I'm pretty sure the doctors will apologise when they realise their mistake," Rose replied, sarcastically.

The Doctor chose not to reply, instead, fumbling through his jacket, taking out his sonic screwdriver with a flourish. "There we go! Need some light!"

Rose's brows furrowed. "Why do you need a light?"

The Doctor grinned at her, a big, huge, wide grin, pulling open the drawer as far as it would go. "Bigger on the inside!" he stated happily as he, quite literally, dived in.

And, ironically, came to an abrupt halt when his body was only halfway in. Rose raised an eyebrow. It wasn't every day that you got to see the Doctor's legs sticking out of a drawer, wriggling strange, unusual patterns in midair.

Subsequently, the only thing Rose could think of was how cute an ass the Doctor had.

A muffled banging reached Rose's ears, and she watched as the Doctor wriggled, backwards, his way out of the drawer, managing somehow to land on his feet and shake the dizziness out of his head, before turning to her, hair puffed up, grinning widely, and clutching something that looked like a pen in his hand. "Got it!"

Rose grinned back at him. The Doctor's enthusiasm was contagious. "What'll it do?" Rose queried.

The Doctor walked over to her, placing the pen-thing against the stitches on her arm, and to her amazement, the stitches shrivelled up and vanished like some strange magic trick. Or, she mused, like a banana when the Doctor was around. "That's what it does," the Doctor told her. The cut on her arm hadn't changed positions- hadn't twinged with pain or anything like that, for which Rose was grateful.

The Doctor ran over to the other side of the room, dumping the pen-thing and replacing it with a small device, similar to a scanner in appearance, and racing back to Rose's side. He positioned the device above the cut, and pressed a button. Immediately, bluish-green light emanated from its tip onto Rose's arm, and, to Rose's delight, the cut began to fade- not fade… heal. And heal quickly, too.

Abruptly, the device made a beeping sound, and the Doctor placed it next to Rose. Rose stared at her left arm. The only thing that remained of the cut was a thin white line, about four centimetres long. She touched it, poked at it. Didn't hurt at all. "Thanks," she said to the Doctor, standing up. And that was when she noticed the familiar humming of the TARDIS- excitement a-plenty. It was almost melodic, gentle…_welcoming_.

She had returned.

And it was sinking in.

She grasped the Doctor's arm with trembling fingers, and the Doctor turned around in concern. "What's wrong?" the Doctor asked her.

She didn't reply, staring at the ground, and the Doctor tilted her face up in concern. "Rose? What's wrong?" the Doctor worried.

Rose looked up at him, tears in her eyes and running down her face. "You… me… I'm… and you… and me… and… I'm back!" she blurted out.

A smile began to spread slowly over the Doctor's face. "You are back! Hello!"

Rose grinned through her tears, sniffed, and plunged forwards into the Doctor's waiting arms. "I'm back," Rose exclaimed into his shirt. "I'm back!"

The Doctor pulled her closer. "Yes, you are."

They remained in that embrace before the Doctor pulled himself out, and stared at Rose with some emotion she couldn't decipher, cupping his hands against Rose's face. His eyes turned black, with sorrow, or guilt, or remembrance. "I missed you," he whispered to her.

She looked up at him, moving both of her hands over his own. "I missed you, too."

A deep understanding passed through their eyes. A journey passed from brown to brown- a tale of friendship, of loss, of grief, of misery, of determination, and finally, of happiness, of relief. A tale of return.

Then the Doctor jumped up, removing the link between them. "But how?"

"How?" Rose replied, confused.

"How, Rose Tyler, did you get back? It's impossible. Impossible, as in- _impossible_." The Doctor gestured wildly to get his point across.

"If there's anything you taught me," Rose told him, "It's that nothing is impossible."

The Doctor didn't reply, only continued to stare at her with judging eyes, trying to determine, if possible, how it was that Rose was able to cross an un-crossable void.

Rose told him. "Time Lords helped me," she explained.

The Doctor seemed to perk up and darken at the same time, if that was even possible. "Time Lords?" There was disbelief in his tone.

"Yeah." Rose knew here that she'd have to tread lightly; Martha had told her what had occurred with the Master in this universe- and how devastated the Doctor had been. If Rose said the wrong thing now…

"Five of them. They built a device-" Rose was interrupted.

"Time Lords don't help anybody," the Doctor said harshly.

"These ones _do_," Rose responded. "They built a device to get me _back_."

"Why?" the Doctor still obviously didn't believe her.

Rose stared into his eyes, opening herself up, showing complete honesty. "They told me that they wanted to help because they owed it to _you_."

The Doctor stepped back, surprise etched across his face. "Me?" he pointed at himself.

"Yeah," Rose nodded. "Well, the 'you' from the other universe."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Why would-"

Prepared for this question, Rose said, "Because you saved their lives."

"I did?"

"The other 'you'," Rose replied.

The Doctor's eyes darkened further. "That's new," he whispered to himself.

Rose overheard, but didn't dwell on it. Instead, she fumbled with the bag she was holding, pulling out the device that she had used to pass through the void. Upon seeing it, the Doctor snatched it out of her hands, a look of curious delight replacing the darkness on his face as he turned it over, peering closely at it.

"Did they tell you how it works?" the Doctor was still staring intently at the device.

Rose stared at the transporter. "They said… they said it worked by making me into a 'bubble' to transport me through the void."

"A bubble?"

"Yeah," Rose answered.

The Doctor shuffled through his coat pocket, withdrawing his so-called brainy-specs, put them on, and grinned widely at Rose. "So they used a protective and repelling bubble to get you through the void…but… the only things that are capable of travel through the void are the ones that match the atoms corresponding to each universe. Which means…"

"Means?"

The Doctor's grin spread further across his face, making him light up like a Christmas tree. He explained it to her at about three hundred miles per hour. "Which means… that they had to add a Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator!"

All Rose had time to do was look confused as the Doctor continued his fast-paced rant.

"Oh! And if they used a Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator, Rose Tyler, they must have used a Tribophysical Uni-Kinetic Molecular Transverser to maintain the disparities in the different universes! Because, of course, if you couldn't maintain the disparities of different universes, you're heading for a big, fat, _boom_!"

His exclamation of 'boom' was more than loud enough to make Rose jump half out of her skin.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor continued. "Brilliant! And so they used a Compression Field to form a negative loop back into the Tribophysical Uni-Kinetic Molecular Transverser to keep the stuff inside the Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator to allow molecular displacement to enable the universe's original molecules to be replaced with the destination's molecules!"

Rose nodded agreeably, having no knowledge of what the Doctor had just said.

"Excellent! Ha! Couldn't have done it better myself!" the Doctor said happily. "Just brilliant! Don't you agree?" this the Doctor directed at Rose.

There was a pause. Then, "Huh?"

The Doctor stared at Rose.

Rose stared back. How was she supposed to know? However, inwardly, all she was doing was carving his happy face permanently into her memory banks. Well, that and laughing at the expression on his face. She answered anyway. "Yeah… yeah, I agree."

The Doctor grinned again, still wearing his glasses, completely and utterly oblivious. "Knew you would!"

Rose nodded again, having another urge to hug him just to prove she was back, and laugh at the happy naivety on his face. She didn't get a chance to do or say anything as the Doctor abruptly changed the subject, yelling a "C'mon!" and grabbing her hand, leading her through the TARDIS' many corridors, before stopping just as abruptly in front of a door which Rose recognised all too well.

"Is this…?" Rose hardly dared to ask, reaching a hand out and touching the familiar frame of her room's doorway.

The Doctor glanced at her, understanding just how much it was to take in. "Why don't you get changed into something of yours?" he suggested gently, removing his glasses from his face and placing them back in one of his pockets.

Rose nodded dumbly. It wasn't that she didn't like the clothes Martha had given her… she just preferred her own. She entered her room, feeling nostalgia immediately.

When she had first arrived in the TARDIS and chosen a room for herself, the TARDIS had automatically changed the background colour and style of the room to suit Rose's preferences.

The room was a light shade of pink, with a slightly darker shade indicating her door. In one corner, a darker shade indicated her walk-in closet- huge- containing all her clothes, her shoes and all the stuff she had from expeditions to other planets. She walked over to the closet, opening it and staring with hunger at the sight of her clothes. Ignoring them for the time being, however, she chose instead to reach behind the messy pile of shoes and pulled out a small cardboard box.

She ran a finger along its dusted surface, relishing the comfort it presented to her. She took the lid off the box and peered inside. She picked up a small, brown, hardened flower which still smelt just as sweet as the first day she'd seen it. It had been the first alien planet she had ever visited, and the flower, according to the natives, was said to bloom only once every five thousand years, and only for a couple of seconds. And when it bloomed, it showed colours of unimaginable beauty. Even though the flower appeared withered and dead, it still smelt fresh and moist, as if to announce the fact that it was still alive.

She put the flower to one side, and picked up a dusty photograph of the Doctor, in the first regeneration she had seen him, smiling widely and hugging a younger Rose close to him. The younger Rose was grinning at her through the faded picture, showing pure, unadulterated happiness.

She placed the picture with the flower, and picked up the last remaining item in the box. It was a small, crystal orb that she had been presented to by the Doctor- the recent one- as a birthday present. When she had first seen it, she had almost been disappointed at the lack of 'alien' to it, but that had changed when the Doctor had told her what it could do.

She clasped her hand over it, and narrowed her eyes, concentrating hard. A flash of light emanated from the orb, and she let go of it, allowing it to float in midair. Another flash and a laser-like beam pointed out, forming into a black and white humanoid shape. The Doctor. Or, rather, memories of the Doctor.

_When the Doctor had just regenerated, the moment when Rose realised that the Doctor would be okay… "__Did you miss me?"_

_When the Doctor's hand had been cut off in his battle to save the world… "__You wanna know the best bit? This new hand? It's a__ fightin'__ hand!"_

_When the Doctor and Rose had been sitting on the apple grass of New Earth… "__It is! It's the city of New New York! Strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original, so that makes it New New-New-New-New New-New-New-New-New New-New-New-New-New New York."_

_When Rose had met Sarah Jane, and she had gotten to see one side of the Doctor she hadn't before… "I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone that you l-"_

"_You can spend the rest of your life with me... but I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords."_

_When they had first travelled to the alternate universe… "__Not in the real world... It used to be easy: when the Time Lords kept their eye on everything, you could pop between realities and be back in time for tea. Then they died, and took it all with them. The walls of reality closed, the world was sealed, and everything became that bit less kind."_

_When the Doctor had terrified her with the ominous statement after the opening of the Olympics in London… "Something in the air. Something's coming. A storm's approaching..."_

_When she said the last goodbye to the Doctor, standing on Bad Wolf Bay… "__Inside the TARDIS. There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection- I'm in orbit around a supernova. I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."_

_And when they had been reunited, just mere hours beforehand… "__But… It's impossible…"_

"_Rose!"_

The orb glowed brighter for a second, before returning to its crystal state. Rose sighed, memories reappearing freshly in her mind. She placed the crystal ball with the flower and the picture, then stood up and returned to her room, placing the three items on her huge, pillow-filled bed.

Realising she still had yet to get changed, she made her way back into the wardrobe, picking out the pair of jeans and sleeveless top that were the closest to her. Changing quickly, she placed the flower, the orb and the picture next to her bed- she had demanded of the Doctor long ago that she'd need a bedside table- and that's what she put the objects on, positioning them so all three could be seen on all angles of her room.

She turned to walk out, and then turned back. Should she take the bag with her? The bag with the communication device she had left on her bed- but the Doctor had the actual transportation device with him… so the Doctor could grin about it all he wanted. And that reminded her- she needed to tell the Doctor that the Time Lords wished to meet with him. Not sure of how he'd take it, she had decided not to mention anything about it earlier.

No. She would leave the bag where it was. She didn't need it right away.

She exited the room. The Doctor was waiting for her on the other side, having the transportation device still in his hand. "Ready?" he asked.

"For what?" it was her turn to ask a question.

"I'll show you," the Doctor offered. Well, sort of offered. Once again, Rose found herself running along with him to the control room of the TARDIS.

Once there, the Doctor went on ahead pressing buttons and anything else he could get his hands on. The TARDIS jolted into movement and Rose grinned happily at the Doctor, who promptly grinned back.

"First trip!" Rose called to him over the sounds of the engines.

"First trip!" the Doctor called back just as enthusiastically.

"Where are we going?" Rose yelled.

"Secret!" the Doctor winked at her from across the console.

The TARDIS jolted as it landed, and Rose was reminded of the smooth landings the Master was capable of. As the Doctor came to join her, she called to him, "Did you pass your TARDIS licence?"

The Doctor looked surprised at the question for a second, before grinning and responding with a "Nope!"

Rose shook her head ruefully, still smiling.

"Here," the Doctor said, pulling something out of his coat pocket. "You left it."

Rose reached out her hand to take her purple jacket off the Doctor; the one that she had been wearing when she had been trapped in the alternate universe. She shrugged it on; still fit. "I didn't leave it," she said to the Doctor, whose face became confused. "It stayed," she elaborated.

The Doctor nodded, a half-smile apparent on his face.

Rose began to walk out, but the Doctor blocked her. As she glanced at him in puzzlement, he strode over to the doors and opened both in a wide, swift movement.

She gasped.

They were on the same beautiful, rocky planet that they'd been on when she had told the Doctor that she'd remain with him forever. Looking up, a smile spread across her face. The stingrays, the flying stingrays, were slowly looping patterns around the eroded and shaped rocks, calling out to each other in a strange, musical language.

She glanced back at the Doctor, trying to find words to say what this meant to her. "Forever," she told him.

He seemed to get the message, and offered her one of his hands. She took it, and they both stared at the majestic singing life-forms above them.

She turned back to him.

"Wha…?" he turned towards her, the movement attracting his attention.

"The Time Lords." Rose paused for a second before continuing. "Don't you want to know their names?"

"Mm," the Doctor nodded, but still, Rose could tell he was wary.

"One's called the Officer."

"Don't know him," the Doctor stated.

"Another is called Jorax."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "As in… _Jorax_?! The best Time Lord Scientist ever?!"

Rose widened her eyebrows imperceptibly. "He's the best scientist?!" she exclaimed. But then, it made sense. The amount of knowledge he'd had regarding the application; enough so that he could replace it with an adequate metaphor- of course he had been a scientist- and of course he had been good. "That actually makes sense," Rose told him.

"Next?" the Doctor was impatient, for some strange reason.

"Loranos," Rose stated.

"Don't know."

"Phantom."

"Don't know."

Rose hesitated, slightly nervous of what kind of reaction she would get.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her, judging silently, and, probably, accurately. "Who's the last?"

Rose opened her mouth. "The Master."

The Doctor's reaction was instantaneous. He tensed noticeably, eyes wide, full of repressed guilt and sadness. "Rose… he's _bad_."

Rose met the Doctor's gaze squarely. "Not from that universe, he isn't."

The Doctor appeared to consider that, thinking quickly. "He's obsessed."

"He helped me."

"Why?"

"You saved him."

The Doctor snorted. "I couldn't save him."

Rose hated his self-deprecating tone. "You'd be surprised."

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows. "You trust him?"

"I do," Rose responded, completely honest.

"Good enough!" the Doctor replied, convinced.

"Really?" she felt a glimmer of affection towards him; so willing to trust her.

"Yep."

There was a pause, not awkward, as they both stared out to the stingrays.

And then, a change of subject.

"Why do they look like stingrays?" Rose asked the Doctor, as one particularly big one passed over their heads.

The Doctor grinned at her, glad at her choice in subject matter. "Wrong. Stingrays look like these," he beckoned to the flying mantises.

"You mean?!" Rose caught this on fast.

"Yep."

"Stingrays originated from here?!"

"Yep."

The only thing Rose could respond with was a long, "Cool."

There was another pause as they both surveyed the ancestors of the marine stingrays. Rose shuffled closer to the Doctor, almost cuddling into his brown trench coat.

"They asked for one favour," Rose told him.

The Doctor looked at her with interest. "Yeah?"

"They wanted you to come back with me so you can see them," she said.

The Doctor's eyes widened again, but this time it was with memories of loss, of pain, of distrust. And then the flicker was gone, replaced with mere curiosity and excitement. "Ready for an adventure, Rose Tyler?"

Rose grinned in response.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

TBC…

_A/N_

_G'day!_

_Hope you all liked this chapter- took me a while to write- I kept deleting heaps._

_Alright, first of all, the stingray-planet. If you happened to forget about that part, I suggest re-watching 'Army of Ghosts'._

_Second, the explanation of the Doctor's techno-babble. Yes, I made all of it up- except for the __Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator and the Compression Field. _

_Okay. Consider the 'bubble' you were told the transportation was like. Now, this bubble repels and attracts. The attractive force allows pull to a particular universe, while the repelling force prevents anything from tagging along. The bubble is the Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator- like a shield._

_Now, the Tribophysical Uni-Kinetic Molecular Transverser (let's call it TUMT for the sake of this conversation) disperses the special universal molecules (which we know as space-gunk, residue, or the green stuff the Doctor saw on each of them in Doomsday) and replaces these molecules with ones from the universe you are travelling to._

_The Compression Field allows this process to happen by making the contents inside smaller- thus making the transfer process faster._

_Yeah. That's about what happens._

_So, without further ado, I present those who have my thanks._

_First: To the magnificent people who reviewed the previous chapter (thank-you so much! It was quite hard to write a believable reunion, and I'm so happy you think I pulled it off!):__** gaiafreedom21**, **QuiteRightToo**, **caromac**, **MythStar Black Dragon**, **Rosie-Jess**, **White Purity**, **Talia-Taylor**, **M64**, **x-EmilyTennant-x**,** NewDoctorWhoFan** (who reviewed chapter five as well), and **The Chibi's Are Stalking Me**._

_Second:__ Thanks so much to the people who put this story on their favourites: __**Draco167**__**DramaQueen1133**, **I'mTheMasterOfWhatever**, **JeMS7**, **Kaia-S**, **QuiteRightToo**, **Rosie-Jess**, **Sunny angel**, **Talia-Taylor**, **The Chibi's Are Stalking Me**, **Tigerprime**, **VampMistress**, **Wanabee**, **awesomepwincess123**, **caromac**, **gaiafreedom21** and** jimmybeam**._

_Third: Thanks heaps (and a fully-functional TARDIS) to those who put me on their favourite author lists: __**Draco167**, **I'mTheMasterOfWhatever**,** johnny-B-reading**, **Mara Jade Snape**, **QuiteRightToo**, **Rosie-Jess**, **Talia-Taylor**, **VampMistress **and **Wanabee**._

_Lastly, thanks to all that put this story on story alerts and who put me on their author alerts._

_Once again, I have to say, you guys make me so happy!_

_Oh, and on a slightly sour note, I won't be able to update this for around three weeks- circumstances beyond my control, believe me. I apologise in advance._

_On a slightly higher note, I was wondering something. I had originally planned this to be just one story, but I had a dream which subsequently gave me inspiration to write a sequel. I'm not sure if I should… so… do you guys want me to have a sequel to this?_

_Anyway, I'll appear again after three weeks._

_SnowFox3_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **Sadly enough, I cannot claim ownership rights over Doctor Who. I can claim ownership of a nice new needle point pen though.

_I know I said three weeks, but, as always, I found a way around that slight snag. And so, here I am! And here is Chapter Eight, ladies and gentlemen!_

_  
Enjoy!_

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The trip back to the alternate universe was just the same as Rose had remembered it; the horrible flashing of colours that she couldn't distinguish, the swirling, as if someone had deliberately placed her and the Doctor into a whirlpool, and the dizziness that resulted when she opened her eyes. She squeezed them shut.

She didn't make a sound the entire way. The Doctor, on the other hand, was making little eager noises from deep within his throat that made Rose want to pat him on the head like she would a puppy dog.

She grinned. Were she to do that, the Doctor would probably wag his tail. Does the Doctor want his bone? _Good boy!_

She stifled her laughter, eyes still tightly closed.

The transporter ended with a thump as it had done last time, only, this time, to her relief, she didn't vomit up her guts. She was a little unsteady getting to her feet, but she noticed that the Doctor had the same problem.

The Doctor, upon gaining his balance, stared at the surroundings with something akin to a regretful understanding. "So, this is where they are?" he asked her.

She took in the old house. "Yeah."

The Doctor grinned quickly. "C'mon then!" he grabbed her hand and led her to the door- ran her to the door. And then he rapped on said door with all the gusto of a comedian arriving in front of a massive audience. The Doctor then stepped back, even with Rose, and waited.

Rose looked at him anxiously, wondering how he'd react. But then she looked back at the door, eager to see those who had helped her.

The door opened, and an old man with a bandana-hat covering part of his glistening silver hair stepped out. "Officer!" Rose grinned.

The Officer stared at her, the light brown eyes showing recognition, before turning to her companion. The Officer seemed to freeze to the spot, taking in the Doctor's appearance. And then the Officer ducked to his knees, staring down at the ground, and took his bandana off his head, placing it at the Doctor's feet.

The Doctor gaped at him, before awkwardly picking up the hat and giving it back to the Officer. The Officer stood up, giving the Doctor a nod, before speaking once again in the strange, beautiful language of the Gallifreyans.

Rose glanced at the Doctor. His reaction was not what Rose expected; he closed his eyes in remembrance or grief or, perhaps, happiness, and replied back in the same language. It flowed unnaturally from him at first, as if he had forgotten how to speak it. But then it softened, smoothened, becoming just as lilting, but also with a joyful tone. Rose smiled softly. The Doctor was happy.

Their conversation continued for a while, the language impressing itself upon Rose's mind. It stopped suddenly, and the Officer walked back into the house, beckoning them to follow.

She glanced at the Doctor, who grinned back at her, and they both walked inside. Rose smiled as she recognised the room. The cushions, strewn around the room, lounges of clashing colours underneath the cushions; and near each of the cushions was a figure- four in total. The figures stood as Rose and the _Doctor_ entered.

Rose continued to smile as she recognised the faces that stared back at her. "Meet the Doctor," she said gleefully, introducing him.

Loranos was the first to respond. "_Doctor_…"

The Doctor glanced at Loranos, then at Rose. "Hello! You don't mind if we speak English do you? Rose here can't understand Gallifreyan."

Rose shot him a look of surprise; it wasn't like the Doctor to allow her to actually _understand _what was going on- which meant the Doctor was wary about something. Of what, she didn't know, but she resolved herself to find out. She nodded gratefully back at the Doctor.

"Of course," Loranos inclined her head in agreement. "Doctor… it is an _honour_." Loranos bowed her head low, and then raised it again.

As the Doctor nodded back in much the same way, Rose realised this had to be some kind of Time Lord tradition or something- like how soldiers saluted and so on.

"Loranos," the Doctor replied, after his bow.

Rose frowned in confusion for a second, wondering how the Doctor knew who she was. But then she figured- it was easy to distinguish the one female Time Lord out of all of them, and the name 'Loranos' would probably give it away as a female.

Needless to say, however, when Loranos stepped back, she had an even higher look of respect towards the Doctor in her eyes. Rose glanced around at the standing Time Lords, wondering who would take the next step ahead.

It was Jorax.

The brown trench coat was discarded where he had been sitting, but his eyes still glistened bright lavender. "Doctor," Jorax said, repeating the actions of Loranos. "It's good to meet you."

The Doctor nodded back. "Phantom?"

"No," Jorax denied. "Jorax."

The Doctor grinned widely. "Jorax! The brilliant scientist!"

Jorax seemed to force a smile and stepped back with the other Time Lords.

Rose looked downwards as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. It was the Doctor's hand; his fingers to be precise- and they were wriggling around each other in an anxious way. Rose grinned- it was definitely new to see the Doctor _nervous_.

Phantom moved forward next, running a hand through his blonde hair, and bowing with gusto. The Doctor's hand twitched sharply.

Rose looked up. The Doctor must have known that she was watching his hands, because a twitch from the Doctor meant he had found his reason to be wary. The reason was Phantom.

Yeah, Rose did sense something there before; why else would she be awkward around Phantom? Although… she couldn't imagine what the Doctor should be wary about, when it came to Phantom.

Phantom lowered his head in the same fashion as the others had. "Doctor… my pleasure. I'm Phantom."

The Doctor lowered his head in return, but didn't respond to Phantom. Instead, he turned towards the last Time Lord- he knew who this one was.

"Master." The Doctor nodded warily.

"Doctor." The Master nodded back to the Doctor. "I'm assuming that I'm bad over your end, aren't I?"

The Doctor gave the tiniest of smirks. "Oh, you could say that."

"Am I still alive?" the Master asked, seeing something in the Doctor's eyes that Rose had overlooked.

"No. You died." The Doctor paused for a second, before adding, in a desperate, choked quiet tone, "I couldn't save you."

"You couldn't save _him_," the Master replied, blue eyes matching brown in a show of will. "You did save me."

"No," the Doctor shook his head. "He saved you. I didn't."

"You got me out of my obsessed phase," the Master replied.

The Doctor frowned slightly. "How?"

"You made me look after kids," the Master grinned. "My ego sure went down, Doc."

"Doc?" the Doctor whispered to himself. "You haven't called me that since-"

"Since you died to save our lives," the Master interjected.

Rose glanced at Phantom as he looked to the side with something unreadable in his eyes.

"I didn't die," the Doctor replied. "He did."

The Master stared at the Doctor. "I'm not evil. He was," the Master said. "Do you believe me?"

"No. Not completely."

"I'm _not_ evil," the Master's blue eyes were brightened with honesty.

"Are you good at lying?" the Doctor asked, eyes narrowed. Judging.

"Are you?" the Master said in return.

The Doctor looked up. "Dunno, really. I mean, I suppose I could be, but that's for me to know. Are you?"

The Master sighed. "Doc… I'm not going to try and kill you. Why would I help Rose if I was?"

"To get to me," the Doctor replied.

Rose didn't want to get involved in this conversation. It was fast-paced, barely understandable, but the two causing it seemed to understand everything. So she continued to glimpse, out of her peripheral vision, the varying expressions of Phantom as the argument- or whatever it was- progressed. She honestly had no idea what she was looking for, but if the Doctor was careful, then so was she.

"How did I die?" the Master asked the Doctor.

The Doctor's eyes darkened, but he responded. "You got shot."

"I didn't regenerate?"

"Refused," the Doctor said. "How did I die?"

Rose perked up at this. She wanted to know, too.

The Master sighed. "Time War. I'm assuming there was one on your end too?"

The Doctor nodded, "I was the only survivor."

"You killed yourself in order to save us," the Master said, blue eyes dimmed with memories.

"How?" the Doctor asked him, confused.

"You used your TARDIS- used the heart- plugged in into the untempered schism."

There was a pause, while Rose pondered over the meaning and implications of that sentence.

"B-but…" the Doctor stammered. "That means… means I-"

"Yeah," the Master smiled ruefully. "You did, but it didn't really matter. We," the Master beckoned to the other Time Lords, "And a few others were the only ones left, as well as thousands of Daleks. We'd lost."

"And I saved you?" the Doctor spoke. "If I used the schism- how… _how_ did you survive it?"

"You cordoned it off," the Master answered. "You used your TARDIS and yourself to rip a section of the schism off. Still don't know how you did it."

"I-I… I-" the Doctor babbled. "I _separated_ the schism?!" he said incredulously.

The Master took this chance to grin. "Yep. Doc, you parted infinity!"

The Doctor shook his head. "How?" but he allowed himself a small grin.

Rose sighed inwardly. Apparently, in this universe, the Doctor changed the layout of infinity. While Rose had no idea of exactly what that meant, she knew the Doctor would be giddy for days.

"You knew the separated part would implode," the Master continued, "So you used the heart to dampen and focus the effect. Like I said, I have no idea how you did it."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes once more towards the Master, before taking a step forward, and inhaling the air near the Master's face. Rose raised an eyebrow, while Phantom focused his gaze on the Master.

The Master grinned and sighed at the same time. "You'll smell honesty," the Master told him.

"Hmm," was the Doctors eloquent reply. "I smell… you smell…" the Doctor turned back to Rose, smiling suddenly. "Always wanted to say this!" he announced to her. "I smell, you smell, we all smell!"

Rose sighed, but couldn't help the corners of her mouth curling upwards. This whole scene… she couldn't find words to define it. It was expected when the Doctor was involved, but she had no idea how circumstances led them back together- and _here_, of all places. She shrugged to herself. Didn't much matter how.

The Master's reaction was much the same as Rose's. "Poetic," he quoted Rose's statement.

The Doctor grinned. "Thanks."

"So…" the Master started, "Am I telling the truth?"

"Yeah, you are," the Doctor said. "But it doesn't mean that you're not going to kill me."

"I'm not going to kill you," the Master said. "Sniff me."

The Doctor sniffed in again, and stared at him. "True," the Doctor stated.

It was the Master's turn to grin. "Told you."

The Doctor nodded, and smiled. "Okay, I believe you." There was a pause. The Doctor's eyes then narrowed and darkened to a pitch black shade. "But if you harm Rose…" the Doctor let himself trail off, the low and threatening tone saying more than he ever could.

The Master looked taken-aback for a second, before nodding.

"Okay!" the Doctor turned back to the group. "Well, now we've past the introductions! Onto the talk!" The Doctor paused for a second. "What are we going to talk about?" Another pause. "And please don't say the weather. I _hate _talking about the weather."

Rose stifled a chuckle.

"The device!" the Doctor said suddenly. He turned to Jorax. "Using a Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator, right?"

Jorax's eyes widened, surprised, before answering with a, "Yeah. And a-"

"And a Tribophysical Uni-Kinetic Molecular Transverser with a Compression Field," the Doctor interrupted.

Jorax nodded, shocked. "Yes, but how did you know?"

"Oh," the Doctor said, glancing at Rose, "I'm brilliant!"

Rose grinned at him, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Phantom turn and mutter something to Loranos. When Phantom noticed her staring at him, he winked and smiled cheerily. Rose smiled back; she had to keep them believing her- she didn't want Phantom or any of the others finding out that she was judging them.

She turned back to the Doctor, who had started another conversation with Jorax, refusing completely to talk to the Master. Rose felt a burst of pity for the Master, who was looking more than downcast, having retired to a seat in the furthest corner away, head turned to face the wall. She walked over to him, ignoring the Doctor's warning gaze on her back.

Sitting down beside the Master, she waited for him to speak first.

"Rose," he acknowledged quietly.

And suddenly she found herself speechless. What could she say to him? If she had been the one in the Master's position, she'd be distraught. Hurt. How could she tell him the Doctor would get over it, if she didn't know whether the Master was bad or not? How could she tell him that the Doctor would become nicer, more open, if really he probably wasn't?

"Are you…" she paused, fumbling with the right word, "Bad?" She winced, expecting some kind of harsh retort.

The Master chuckled darkly. "What would it matter?"

"It matters to me," Rose told him. "I need to know."

The Master stared at her. "Would I tell you if I was?" he said it darkly, grimly.

"Probably not," Rose replied honestly. "But still…"

"I'm not," the Master stated. "But you can't tell if I'm being truthful or not, can you? Because if you did, you wouldn't need to ask that question. And, thus, it doesn't matter what I say."

Rose glanced at the ground. He was right. "I trust you," she whispered slowly. "I'm having doubts, yeah, but I trust you."

"And the Doctor?" he asked.

Rose returned her gaze to his face, taking in the darkened shade of blue of the Master's hurt eyes. "That's why I need to know if he can trust you," she answered.

"I believe he can," the Master replied to Rose. "But does he?"

"He will," Rose said. "Prove it to him."

"How?" the Master looked down at the ground.

"Just," Rose thought, "Do something that'll show who you really are, one way or another. That way the Doctor- and I- will know."

The Master nodded thoughtfully, but didn't speak, and Rose allowed herself to be excused. She headed towards Loranos next; since her first meeting with the female Time Lord, Rose felt she could trust her.

Upon nearing, though, Phantom hadn't left. And the Doctor and Jorax were still engaged in a race of words- talking about anything in particular. And the Officer was leaning against the door, watching them all, looking for all the world like some bodyguard.

"Loranos," Rose called, "Could I speak to you?"

Loranos looked up, hazel eyes confused. But she made her way over to Rose anyway. "Yes, Rose?" she queried in her soft yet withered voice.

"Umm…" Rose searched for words. "Do you trust-"

She was broken off by a sudden and loud continuous tone that made her want to hold her ears in pain. She heard the Master say, "I'm on it," extremely loudly, almost yelling, and watched as the Master sped out of the room, through the door that she knew led to the downstairs laboratory.

She glanced at the Doctor; both thinking the same thing. The Doctor separated from Jorax, and she went to meet him. "What's going on?" Rose asked him, loudly enough that she could be heard, but quietly enough so that the other Time Lords couldn't hear her.

The Doctor whispered back, "I don't know," in a thoughtful tone. Then the tone became harsher, and he added, "Why were you talking to the Master?"

She looked up at him, seeing the distrust plain in his eyes, and feeling a stab of dismay, before realising the mistrust was directed at the Master. "I trust him," Rose replied, as if that explained everything, which, really, it didn't.

Rose knew that by going to the Master she was showing distrust, but she couldn't help it. Was the Doctor right? Was the Master evil? Or were her own senses about the Master right, telling her that he was trustworthy?

The Doctor began to reply, but the other occupants of the room had made their way to the Doctor and Rose, and he cut himself off.

"What's going on?" Rose asked, this time to the other Time Lords.

Jorax was the one that replied. "This tone indicates that there has been some interference with a planet," he told her.

She furrowed her brows, confused, before the Doctor jutted in and said, "It means something's happening on a planet. Something that shouldn't happen."

Rose could hear the deep-seated concern in the Doctor's sentence, and hoped that it wasn't Earth as the planet. Although, out of the probable millions of planets, it was unlikely that Earth _was_ the planet in question.

The alarm stopped abruptly, leaving her ears ringing. Soon after, a chaos of noise erupted as the Master ran back up the creaky stairs, and burst open the door to stand in front of all of them, eyes wild. Wild with obsessive joy or wild with concern, Rose couldn't tell.

"It's Earth!" the Master called.

Rose's first reaction was worry for her family and Mickey. Her second reaction was a sigh. Of course it was Earth. It was always Earth.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor called back.

The Master walked over, slowly, but with a hint of desperation. "A Gallifreyan Weapon," the Master told them, to gasps of confusion and denial.

"Which one," the Doctor had his eyes narrowed, darkened with concern and some form of anger.

"Model Fifteen," the Master replied grimly.

Although Rose had no idea what 'Model Fifteen' was, she could tell from the Doctor's horrified face that it was bad. Add that to the horrified looks of the other Time Lords, and Rose was pretty apprehensive.

"Are we going to check it out?" the Doctor asked, still darkly, as if he believed it was the Master's fault.

The Master replied with a swift nod and led them all outside. "We all going?" he asked the group.

Loranos nodded. Phantom nodded. Jorax nodded. The Officer spoke something in Gallifreyan and nodded. The Master turned to Rose. "Are you coming?" he asked her.

The Doctor brushed in. "Yes," he told the Master. "Of course she's coming."

Rose almost pushed the Doctor away, about to say 'Let me answer my own questions,' but thought better of it when the Doctor turned to her with eyes full of relief. And Rose realised the Doctor had just protected her. From what, she didn't know. But he'd protected her from something.

It was fast, the transferral from the grass into the TARDIS. Upon arriving at the phone booth, the Doctor took a glance around the outside, before patting it and walking in after the Master. Rose followed.

The Master had started preparing for departure before she had even gotten on board. A flurry of rotating and turning and pulling resulted, before she heard the familiar sound of the TARDIS taking off. She was too worried about her family to ask what the weapon did, or how they were going to stop it, but she did notice the Master staring at her from the opposite side of the TARDIS with something unfathomable in his shadowed blue eyes. Immediately, unbidden, words popped into her head.

"_Don't trust him," Martha told her firmly. "He'll kill you."_

"_He just wants to kill the Doctor! He doesn't care about anyone but himself! Trust me, don't believe him."_

_The Doctor's reaction was instantaneous. He tensed noticeably, eyes wide, full of repressed guilt and sadness. "Rose… he's _bad_."_

"_He's obsessed."_

Rose shook herself. This Master _wasn't _bad. He just wasn't. He couldn't be. Still, further words popped into her head against her will.

"_I just hope you can live with it if you're wrong."_

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The Time Lord mentally grinned. It was soon. The plan was beginning, forming, taking shape. Very soon, the girl would be on her home planet, and the Doctor with her.

And then the Doctor would pay.

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TBC…

_A/N_

_So, any guesses who the Time Lord is?_

_And, my next update will be soon… a couple of days, give or take a day._

_Sorry about the lack of Doctor/Rose goodness- there is a plot to this story, and, needless to say, the plot must come first. But if you squinted at this chapter you'd probably find hints of it._

_Okay, I've got quite a lot of people (once again, I'm assuming you are all people) to thank this chapter, so bear with me._

_First and foremost, the lovely reviewers! I loved all your reviews, thanks so much: __**x-EmilyTennant-x, M64, White Purity, artistgirl727, Erikstrulove, Rose Tyler, MontyPythonFan, MythStar Black Dragon, Mini Librarian, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, gaiafreedom21, gaia-x-goddess, NewDrWhoFan, Tigris T Draconis, Sunny angel, Iriahm, QuiteRightToo, VampMistress and Talia-Taylor.**_

_Okay, second. Thanks heaps for putting this story on your favourites lists: __**Draco167, DramaQueen1133, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, JeMS7, Kaia-S, QuiteRightToo, Rose Tyler, Rosie-Jess, Sunny angel, Talia-Taylor, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, Tigerprime, VampMistress, Wanabee, artistgirl727, awesomepwincess123, caromac, enneisilee, gaia-x-goddess, gaiafreedom21, jimmybeam and sparks733.**_

_Third, a huge hug, a thankyou, and a David Tennant clone (who functions just the same as the original) to all those that put me as a favourite author: __**Draco167, **__**I'mTheMasterOfWhatever,**__** johnny-B-reading, **__**Mara Jade Snape, **__**QuiteRightToo, **__**Rosie-Jess, **__**Talia-Taylor, **__**VampMistress **__and __**Wanabee.**_

_Last but not least, thankyou to those that have this story on their alerts list, and those that have me on their author alert list._

_Oh, and… I'll be writing a sequel!_

_Thanks again, and so long for now,_

_SnowFox3_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Doctor Who. Which is quite annoying, really, because I'd love to own Doctor Who.

_This chapter I'm going to dedicate to __**The Chibi's Are Stalking Me **__because she was able to figure out who the Time Lord was (Talia- you guessed right too, but you guessed too many!). Although, as a side note, there is more than one bad Time Lord (yes, Talia, the 'bad' is for you). But the other bad Time Lord wasn't the one that was 'making evil plans' last chapter._

_Anyway._

_Onto the story._

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"Have you heard the news?" Mickey asked her.

Of course she'd heard the news. Who did he think she was? Cities were disappearing! Of course she'd heard the damn news!

Oddly enough, Britain hadn't been hit that hard. The strange energy beams had been aiming at the biggest countries- namely, America and China. Starting with the biggest countries first and making its way around the world. So, Britain hadn't been hit that hard… _yet_.

Every person around the world was panicking. Which was quite alright, really; the impeding destruction of the world was usually packed with rights to panic. But it wasn't very helpful.

Her husband, Pete, had been running himself ragged in an idiotic display of world loyalty. She'd tried to ask him to get some rest, she'd tried to force him to get some rest, but the idiot had been stiff as a brick. He hadn't slept for God knows how long.

And, to be honest, neither had Jackie.

Which was probably why her answer came out ruder then she first intended.

"Who hasn't bloody heard the news?" she responded to him, irate. "The bloody world's vanishing!"

If Mickey was affected by the display, he didn't show it. "We'll stop it," he tried to convince her, despite knowing that Jackie wasn't the type of person to appreciate hollow comfort.

Jackie sighed. "Pete's been at it for ages," she told Mickey, ignoring the fact that Mickey already knew, working at Torchwood. "None of our weapons will touch the thing."

Mickey sagged, and all pretence of comfort faded. "I know," he said. "So what'll we do?"

Jackie thought- or tried to. The only thing she could think of was having the Doctor come back to help- which was impossible.

And then she had an epiphany.

The world, when Rose and the Doctor had been separated, had been fine, no alien invasion attempts or world destruction attempts. There had been the odd crash landing here and there, but nothing even remotely similar to a weapon destroying the Earth.

And Rose had left to find the Doctor. Then, suddenly, the world was being destroyed.

Which, naturally, could only mean one thing.

"The Doctor's bloody well back," Jackie whispered.

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Rose launched herself out of the TARDIS once they had landed, not even noticing the smooth landing that the Doctor had never been able to achieve.

In the minute or less that she had been in the TARDIS, her worry had worked up to epic proportions, making her imagine all the worst scenarios- her family and Mickey dead, little Heather crying because her mother wasn't responding, Pete coming up to her and dying, all of them dead and London completely decimated…

It was no wonder she was scared.

She emerged from the TARDIS and immediately knew where she was. Powell Estate, which, to her relief, didn't look like a crater. So the house was okay.

She ran, ignoring Phantom's call behind her. But, she was happy to notice that the Doctor's familiar footsteps were approaching her- he still cared. She slowed down, allowing him to catch up, feeling comforted by his presence. There were no words shared between them; they both knew that there was no need for it. It was just the running, getting to the destination that mattered.

"Mum!" Rose yelled out, remembering this scenario from the last time something like this had happened. Running… calling…

No. Her Mother didn't have a TARDIS. Her Mother _was_ there. It wouldn't be like last time. Rose would be answered. Her Mum would come.

"Oi!" the Doctor yelled out, imitating Rose, "Jackie!"

They skidded to a stop at the front door, but they didn't get time to knock as a harried Jackie Tyler banged open the door. "Rose!" she gave an exclamation of delight and pulled Rose in for a crushing hug, which Rose eagerly reciprocated, chuckling happily.

Jackie was the first to pull out of the hug, turning to stare at the Doctor with something unreadable in her eyes. Rose glanced at the Doctor too; he looked quite nervous, which was an expected reaction, as he waited with bated breath to see what her Mother would do.

She slapped him. "That was for making Rose so miserable," Jackie told him. Then she gave him a quick hug, "That's for bringing her back." Now she stared hard at the Doctor. "If you've messed up the world again," she told him, "You'd better fix it quickly, or I'll slap you again."

The Doctor opened his mouth in shock, had nothing to say, and closed it again. He opened his mouth again, letting out a small, "Ah," and then an "Okay," with a nod.

Rose grinned. The Doctor had been shocked speechless. But she didn't mention it; she had more important matters to attend to. Like saving the world.

"So, Mum, what's been going on?"

Jackie turned back to her, but was distracted by the arrival of four more people. "Master!" she greeted the one that she knew.

The Doctor spun around with narrowed eyes, and then turned back to face Jackie, eyes confused. "You don't greet me like that," he whined. Rose felt relieved that the Doctor hadn't told Jackie his doubts.

Jackie glared at him. "He's more polite than you," she returned. "Friends of yours?" this said to Rose.

"Sort of," Rose returned. Rose glanced at the newcomers. The Master was still staring at Jackie- probably with surprise at her remark. The Officer was a bit behind him, with Phantom next to the Officer. But Jorax and Loranos weren't there. "Where's Jorax and Loranos?"

Phantom answered. "They've remained in the TARDIS, trying to find a way to stop the weapon."

"Oh, so you've got a plan, then?" Jackie asked the Doctor.

The Doctor glanced at her nervously. "Ah… not yet. But we will have one."

"Good," Jackie bobbed her head. "Because everyone's disappearing and panicking, and it's really not helping things."

"Wait," Rose butted in. "Disappearing?"

"Yeah, just like that. Gone. Flash of light, then nothing. Entire cities. Reduced to nothing," Jackie told Rose.

Rose turned to the Doctor. "Is that what the weapon is doing?" she asked incredulously.

"Model Fifteen," the Doctor said grimly, "The one weapon the Time Lords never completed. It was a prototype, during the war. It was going to be used to destroy the Daleks once and for all. Never had time to try. Because the Daleks were winning. It should have been destroyed with the planet…" he trailed off and glared at the Master.

The Master put his hands up in a placating gesture. "It wasn't me. I didn't know it still existed."

Rose joined the conversation here. "You're making it sound like there was only one of them in existence," she said to the Master and the Doctor.

"And there is only one," the Doctor said. "It's a prototype- or it should have been. Any more than that would be dangerous- completely universe-ending dangerous."

Rose was confused.

"Rose," the Doctor started. "This device… this weapon," he said 'weapon' with a derisive snort, "Removes things from time altogether. They stop existing. Just like that. They don't die… but they don't _live_. If they never lived, they can't die."

Rose's eyes had widened with shock throughout the Doctor's speech. The device removed people's existences. Like _that_. "Is there any way to get them back?" she questioned, hopeful.

"No," the Master spoke up. "Once they're gone, they're gone. For good."

Rose glanced at Jackie. "How many…"

She didn't have to finish. Jackie stared back at her, responding with, "Millions. Millions are gone."

"Still," the Doctor butted in. "Model Fifteen… there has to be a controller somewhere. If we find that-"

"Then we can shut it down!" the Master finished.

"But it has to have been a Time Lord…" the Doctor said, almost to himself. "Only a Time Lord would know how to work it." He stared at the Officer and said something in Gallifreyan. The Officer responded back with a shake of the head.

"No," Phantom spoke for the first time. "There's no other Time Lords. We are the only survivors."

Rose watched the Doctor as emotions passed themselves over his face, realising what he was thinking. "Not Loranos?!"

The Doctor nodded sadly. "Loranos and Jorax."

"No," the Master denied. "I know them. They wouldn't do this."

"Yeah?" the Doctor was fast growing angry, probably because they were wasting time. "Well, someone is. And if it's no one here… then…"

The Master looked down. "I just…"

"Alright," the Doctor interrupted, addressing the group. "I'm going to the TARDIS, see if I can stop them. Rose, you and Jackie head inside. Officer and Phantom, you two go with them. Tell Pete," he paused. "Tell Pete that he needs to relay that everyone needs to stay calm. This weapon feeds off how active you are. That's why it's not here yet- it's going for the places with the most people. Don't panic. Tell everyone that. Panic and you die."

"Easy for you to say," Jackie grumbled. But she nodded all the same. The Officer and Phantom glanced at each other as if unsure, but both acquiesced as well.

"I'll-" the Master started, but was interrupted.

"You'll come with me," the Doctor almost snarled. "I'm not letting you stay here…"

_With Rose. _That's what he was going to say, wasn't it? Rose bristled. The Master _wasn't _bad! Why couldn't the Doctor see that?

But at least the Master would be able to help the Doctor. She had no idea how dangerous Jorax and Loranos could get, and, thus, she wanted to help the Doctor too. "Doctor," she started. "Let me come with you."

The Doctor stared at her. "No."

"Why not?" she argued. Rose knew she could help. She knew the Doctor knew. So what was wrong?

It was the Master who answered. "Because it could be a trap."

Rose ignored him, choosing instead to stare at the Doctor, looking for the real reason why she couldn't come.

"Rose," the Doctor placed both of his hands over her cheeks. "I need you to stay here. Look after everyone."

"But what about you?" her brown eyes stared into his darker ones.

"I'll be fine," he puffed out his chest to demonstrate the point. "Okay?"

Rose sighed, defeated. "Okay," she whispered.

The Doctor nodded at her once, grinning, before turning to the Master and nodding again. Both the Doctor and the Master took off towards the alternate TARDIS- the one looking like a phone booth. And Rose knew automatically that something would go wrong. "Doctor!" she screamed out, and caught up to where he had stopped.

Not letting him say anything, Rose leapt on him, giving him the biggest hug anyone could possibly imagine, before pulling back slightly and placing her lips fiercely on his. The kiss was fast, but filled with emotions that they both hadn't dared to bring up since they had been reunited. She pulled back, letting the Doctor stare at her in surprise, while she caught hold of her own feelings.

"Good luck," she whispered, and dashed back to her Mother, Phantom and the Officer. When she glanced back again, the Doctor and the Master had disappeared out of sight.

She turned back to the others. "Well, come on then, what're we waiting for?"

That prompted movement. Jackie led the procession into the house, Rose behind her and Phantom and the Officer behind them. Upon reaching the hallway, they were confronted by a very haggard-looking Pete.

"Dad!" Rose greeted happily.

Her father looked up, a smile breaking out on his weary features. "Rose!"

"Rose?" came a voice from behind Pete, and to Rose's delight, Mickey and Jake stepped out.

"Mickey!" she exclaimed. "Jake!"

"So you're back then?" Mickey asked.

"Did you find the Doctor?" was Jake's question.

"Yes and yes," Rose replied.

"Not for long," another voice snarled, and from behind her, a terrible gurgling sound erupted.

She pivoted, and her eyes widened with horror. The Officer fell to his knees, the bandana falling off his head and landing on the ground. He clutched at his chest- a desperate manoeuvre, attempting to get some air into his lungs. The tip of a knife was poking out his chest, and blood was beginning to trickle out of the wound.

The knife left the Officer's back with a squelching sound, and the Officer fell face first into the ground, blood now pouring faster and spreading on the pristine floors of the Tyler Mansion. Phantom held up the knife with a wicked grin.

But Rose wasn't interested in that. "Officer!" she cried, falling to her knees beside the bleeding figure. She rolled him gently onto his side- at least then he might have a chance to breath. "Officer…" she whispered, futilely holding a hand against his wound.

He lay on the ground, gasping for breath, but he still managed to whisper back, "Rose…"

She looked at his face in surprise. His intensely light brown eyes had faded almost to a deep yellow, but they were staring back at her, just as they had when Rose first met him. "Shh," she whispered, hoping to give him some comfort. She knew, as much as it tore at her, that there was nothing she could do.

"Rose," he whispered again, and began coughing, flecks of blood coming out of his mouth. When the coughing had subsided, his eyes were an even lighter shade of brown. The Officer attempted to speak again, his teeth stained red. "Rose…" he broke off again, coughing up more blood.

"Can't you regenerate?" she asked desperately.

A cruel chuckle came from above her. "He can't. He's on his last regeneration."

She didn't bother looking up, instead focusing on the Officer's face.

"Rose…" he tried again, "Meeting… you…" more coughing, "I'm…" his voice was getting fainter and fainter, and Rose had to lean in to hear it. "I'm… honoured."

Rose felt tears prickling at her eyes as she realised this was the first time he had spoken English. "I'm…" she choked, "I'm honoured to meet you, too."

The brown eyes gleamed once, and the Officer's mouth curled up into a smile, before his eyes slowly slid shut for the last time.

Rose rocked back, allowing her tears to fall and mingle with the huge amounts of blood on the carpet.

"Oh, Rose," Jackie whispered softly, and Rose looked up.

What she saw wasn't what she expected.

Herself, her mother, her father, Mickey and Jake were being held at gunpoint by no fewer then ten people, not including Phantom. And Rose gasped when she recognised them.

It was inevitable that she recognised them.

For they were from Torchwood.

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The Doctor ran towards the TARDIS, knowing but not fully appreciating the Master's presence behind him. He hoped Rose would be okay- he didn't fully trust Phantom, but he knew if push came down to shove, that the Officer would protect her. And of course, she could protect herself. And Jackie for sure would beat up anyone who dared harm Rose.

The Doctor grinned, but the grin faded almost immediately. Maybe he was supposed to be glad that the Master was back, and apparently 'not evil' but he couldn't bring himself to accept it. All that came to mind was the Master torturing him, torturing Jack, and Martha's parents, and Tish. It wasn't that the Doctor was scared; it was that he couldn't forget.

The difference was this time the Master was accompanying him, not as an enemy, but as an ally. Which was something the Doctor couldn't yet fully comprehend. The logical side of him knew that the Master in this universe had a different life- or had spun a different life, and thus was a different person to the Master of his universe. But still, the Doctor couldn't help the doubts about the Master's intentions. And now, he was running along with the Master, which was all fine and dandy, but he was running in order to prevent Gallifrey's last weapon from destroying the Earth. In order to prevent Loranos and Jorax from destroying the Earth.

And the Doctor wasn't sure if he could trust on the Master's help. This made him anxious for Rose's help; but he also knew that Rose was better off looking after people. Well, that, and he didn't want Rose privy to the fight that was sure to come.

But Rose's kiss had sure been distracting. The Doctor had half a mind to kiss her senseless there and then, but, alas, the world needed saving. Again. And, sadly enough, for the moment, the world had to take priority. Again.

He shook himself, similar to what a dog would do. He'd think about this _after_ he'd used his excellent mind to save the world.

And he thought all this in the ten or so seconds it took to run back to the TARDIS, which was parked in a small alleyway out of sight of the Tyler Mansion.

Arriving at the door, the Doctor glanced back at the Master, who gave a tiny nod. The Doctor turned back around quickly, angry at himself for unknown reasons. Did he trust the Master? No. Did he want to trust the Master? Yes. Oh, yes.

But he couldn't think about that for the moment; he had more pressing issues. He swung open the doors, somewhat surprised when he realised they didn't need unlocking, and strode into the room. "Jorax?" he called out. "Loranos?"

The Master walked in beside him. Automatically, without speaking, they split, the Doctor taking the left route around the controls and the Master taking the right side.

They both saw the body at the same time. And they both ran to the body at the same time. The Master gently turned the dead person's body- it was obvious to them both that she was dead- so that they could see the face.

"Loranos," the Master said sadly.

"So she wasn't part of it," the Doctor replied, allowing himself a sad glance at Loranos' still features, aged but beautiful. "I'm so sorry," he whispered to the body.

"But if she wasn't part of it..." the Master began.

"That means Jorax was looking for a distraction," the Doctor realised at the same time. "Which means…"

They both looked at each other with shock. "Rose," they said simultaneously, both with worry in their tones.

The Doctor jumped to his feet, his cloak sweeping behind him as he dashed around the console, the Master hot on his heels. But he skidded to a halt when he saw Jorax, dark brown cloak and all, blocking the exit. "You're not going anywhere," he stated to them both.

The Master was the first to speak. "If you've harmed anyone…" he said in a dangerously low tone.

The Doctor spared a glance of surprise at the Master, followed by a quick flash of respect. So the Master _did_ care about other people. Rose was right.

But that wasn't really very relevant at the present time. "I know, I know, this seems a little cliché," the Doctor told Jorax, "But… why? Why do this?"

Jorax grinned, lavender eyes turning a darker shade, almost indigo coloured. "Why?" he repeated. "You'll find out later."

The Doctor, glad his hands were by his side, slowly moved the left one behind him, giving him the Master's attention. Then, in a series of hand movements that he, and, he hoped, the Master had learnt while at school, gave the Master an option. The Master flicked the Doctor's finger to show he understood.

"That's not very nice, is it?" the Doctor renewed the conversation, "Not telling us why you killed Loranos."

The Master, hearing his cue, gave a desperate cry. "Loranos," the Master mourned softly, turning and running back over to the slender body sprawled over the TARDIS' floor. He bowed his head over Loranos.

Jorax gave a snort, "Weakling."

Yes. Just as the Doctor expected. So far, so good. He diverted attention again. "So, your plan is to destroy the world, huh? What's that going to get you?" During his speech, he had raised his head up to block the view of the Master. He started making hand gestures. "Well? Because destroying a bunch of dumb apes isn't really going to get you anywhere."

Jorax chuckled. "_You speak of humans as if you hate them_," Jorax said in their native language, "_And yet you speak their language as if it is your own_."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes and began to speak Gallifreyan as well. "_I speak their language because I am used to it_," he growled. "_Now, answer my question. What will you gain from this_?"

"_Nothing_," Jorax told him, "_Except the opportunity for revenge_."

Surprised at this response, but trying not to show it, the Doctor continued his distraction. "_And who is accompanying you on this perilous and stupid quest for revenge?_"

"_No one of your concern just yet. I would, however, be concerned about that girl of yours_."

Forgetting the plan when a current of rage passed through him, the Doctor snarled, "_What have you done to Rose?_"

"_I have done nothing,_" Jorax said calmly, "_However, my accomplice might have._"

The anger and worry grew exponentially. "What did you do to her?!" the Doctor yelled at Jorax, back to English.

Jorax didn't respond, staring over the Doctor's shoulder. "What are you doing?" Jorax let out angrily.

The Master was fiddling as fast as he could with the TARDIS controls. He didn't bother looking up; the Doctor knew that the Master would finish what he was doing first. And he did. The Master gave a sigh of relief as he pushed back from the console.

"What did you do?" Jorax's voice barely concealed his fury.

"Oh, nothing much," the Doctor said, grinning at the Master. "He just placed the TARDIS under his specific control."

Jorax gave a growl of complete and utter fury.

"And you know what that means, right?" the Doctor asked happily.

"It means that only I can direct and fly the TARDIS," the Master finished, grinning back at the Doctor.

It was only then that the Doctor truly realised how much of an idiot he was. He turned to face the Master. "I'm sorry about doubting you," the Doctor said.

"Doesn't matter," the Master said.

They both grinned at each other again.

Jorax decided to intrude at this point. In one smooth movement, he pulled out a vial of a blue gas, throwing it as hard as possible. It hit the Master in the chest, and cracked, the gas floating up into the Master's face.

The Doctor's automatic reaction was to run to the Master.

"No," the Master choked out through the thick fog-like gas now covering his face. "It's got sedative properties."

The Doctor nodded, understanding two things. One: the Master was only going to fall unconscious; and two: the Doctor needed to do something about Jorax. _Fast_.

As the Master slumped to the floor next to Loranos' body, the Doctor spun around, searching out Jorax.

Jorax was over the other side of the controls, pouring another liquid directly into the TARDIS' heart.

"What is that?" the Doctor asked warily.

"_Just a little incentive to get out of here_," Jorax told the Doctor.

The Doctor sped over to Jorax, snatching the empty vial out of the Time Lord's hands. He read the label with growing fury. "You didn't."

"_I did_," Jorax replied in Gallifreyan. "_And I suggest you get out_."

The Doctor looked up. Already, the TARDIS' bright colours were fading, and the roof was slowly gaining cracks in its surface. He stared back at the centre console. The console had darkened already. He glanced back at Jorax, intending to give the Time Lord a piece of his mind, but Jorax had already left the TARDIS. He turned to follow Jorax, but realised he had forgotten about the Master, who was still lying unconscious with the blue fog above him.

The Doctor ran back to the Master, lifting the Master's dead-weight arms over his shoulders. He stared at Loranos once, knowing that he didn't have time to bring her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her as he began the process of dragging the Master to the TARDIS' exit. The TARDIS had darkened even further, and pieces of the ceiling had begun to fall. The Doctor turned back to the exit and swayed, before falling to his knees. The blue gas was affecting him. He didn't have much longer. He had to get out.

Using all his strength, he forced open the door with the Master supported by one arm. With blurring eyes, the Doctor stumbled out onto the hard asphalt of the road. He let out a sigh of relief, and released the Master from his tight grip.

As his eyes began to close from the properties of whatever drug they had been exposed to, he saw the silhouette of Jorax staring down at him.

And then, darkness.

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TBC…

_You think: Oh, no. Not another cliffie! Well, sorry all, but this story is going to be sixteen chapters long- so we haven't reached the end yet. Yes, everyone, sixteen chapters long. We're only just over halfway through. Which is why there isn't a lot of TenRose yet. But you'll get it, don't worry._

_And, yes, the people who guessed Phantom- well, he's evil too._

_Alright. Now to thank people._

_Huge, huge thanks (and lots of cheers) for those who reviewed last chapter: __**Erikstrulove, QuiteRightToo, Talia-Taylor, CSITribe, x-EmilyTennant-x, M64, Tigris T Draconis, Doctor-Lost, scme, Sunny angel, gaiafreedom21, NewDrWhoFan, Rosie-Jess, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, tylerfan23, MythStar Black Dragon, captaincatch, JeMS7 **__and__** artistgirl727.**_

_Big claps and thanks to those who put this story on their favourites lists: __**Draco167, DramaQueen1133, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, JeMS7, Kaia-S, Mara Jade Snape, QuiteRightToo, Rose Tyler, Rosie-Jess, Sunny angel, Talia-Taylor, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, Tigerprime, VampMistress, Wanabee, artistgirl727, awesomepwincess123, captaincatch, caromac, enneisilee, gaia-x-goddess, gaiafreedom21, jimmybeam, sparks733 **__and__** tylerfan23.**_

_A Billie Piper clone to accompany your David Tennant clone for those who put me as their favourite author: __**Draco167, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, johnny-B-reading, Mara Jade Snape, QuiteRightToo, Rosie-Jess, Talia-Taylor, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, VampMistress **__and __**Wanabee.**_

_And, finally, thanks heaps to those who put me on their author alerts, and for those that put this story on their story alerts lists (there's over 50 of them!)_

_I'm ecstatic that you all like this story!_

_Oh, and I think this is my favourite chapter so far. It might also have something to do with my favourite number though _;)

_Until next update (which will be soon),_

_SnowFox3_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **I love Doctor Who. I also don't own it. I have money, but I don't gain money by writing this. I'm not going to bother explaining the sadness I feel when I wake up each day to find I don't own Doctor Who. I'm also not going to bother mentioning the fact that there is sarcasm present above. You can figure that out by yourself.

_So, I'm back again! This chapter I've decided to dedicate to all my reviewers- I've gotten over one hundred! Thanks so much!_

_And, as promised, here's chapter ten. Read. And enjoy._

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Rose gave a shaky sigh, and restlessly shifted her position against the cold wall, inadvertently gaining her the attention of everyone else in the cell. She stared back at them, not wishing to speak.

As if following Rose's lead, Jake also switched positions. Rose didn't really blame him; the cold concrete of the wall and floor were more than any normal discomfort.

She guessed that she had only been down here, wherever here was, for about ten minutes, give or take, but still; it didn't make the wall any more comfortable.

She wondered briefly whether the Doctor was alright.

Phantom hadn't said anything to them; but the way he'd smirked at them, a horrible, cruel smirk, she could tell that whatever had happened to the Doctor couldn't be good. She briefly wondered if all the Time Lords here were evil. But she dismissed it soon after; if they _were_ all evil, they wouldn't have needed to keep the Officer alive prior to Rose and the Doctor's arrival.

This brought her back to the Officer's death, a place where she really didn't want to dwell. But the memories rushed back anyway.

_Blood._

_Lots of blood, spreading around the clear hallway like darkness creeping up on light. Flowing around her as she held a hand desperately against his wound. Blood on her hands…_

She glanced down at her hands. No blood there; she'd already washed it off. Phantom had allowed her the chance to wash the blood off, for which she was grateful, even if Phantom was the one who had stabbed him. It didn't really help, though; she could still feel it; the sticky sensation of the blood as it hardened on her hands, the feeling of it running across her palms like water. She brushed her hands to get the invisible bloodstain off, although knowing it was futile. She couldn't really help it; the feel of the blood leaving a dirty imprint on her hand, showing the death of the Officer, was more than she could bear. His blood in her hands. His life in her hands.

She wondered how the Doctor could trust her enough to place his life in her hands.

She couldn't save the Officer.

How could the Doctor expect her to help save the world?

"Rose?" a comforting voice intruded her thoughts.

She looked up; Jackie's concerned face was filling her vision.

She swallowed and then moistened her dry lips. "Yeah?"

Jackie scrutinised her carefully. "Are you okay?"

Rose gave a nod, "Yeah," she reassured her Mum, "I'm fine." Mentally, she gave her thoughts a little shake, intending to replace them with something far happier, like the kiss she had shared with the Doctor. And how she'd love to do it again.

She leant back against the wall and sighed. The other occupants of the cell were staring at her, which wasn't really much of a surprise, considering there was nothing else to stare at.

The cell wasn't underground- they'd never been forced to climb stairs or hop into escalators, and there wasn't any hill where they had been shepherded.

Yep. They had been herded like sheep, directed on all sides by Torchwood personnel that Rose both knew and respected. And she still had no idea why they had changed allegiances; her father, reinstated in his role as Torchwood head, had been just as surprised as Rose. Mickey and Jake, a part of the Torchwood elite team, hadn't known either.

Which could mean one of two things; one: the Torchwood elites didn't know anything about this, and they were still on Earth's side, or an option that was far more likely: the Torchwood personnel had been told specifically _not_ to mention anything to anyone who was acquainted to Rose.

The only flaw in the latter theory was that, for the entire Torchwood base to be switched, the plan for the world getting destroyed had to have begun _before_ Rose and the Doctor returned, but _after _Rose had left this universe. And the only reason for that would be to get to the Doctor. Which meant that capturing Rose, her family and her friends was just a way to prevent the Doctor from getting help.

And that could only bode worse things to come. That Rose and everyone in the cell would not be a part of.

So, all in all, Rose was slightly happy to be locked up. It proved she wasn't about to be killed. And, since the Time Lords, however many were with Phantom, wanted the Doctor, it meant she could still assist him, still be there, if only as a voice.

And Rose took that opportunity to finally inspect everyone else in the prison room.

Pete was leaning against the bars, one hand wrapped comfortingly around Jackie's shoulders. Rose realised with a jolt that she'd forgotten all about Heather; who knew what had happened to her little sister? The comfort Pete was giving Jackie wasn't because Jackie was stuck in some dark cell, but because she had no idea where Heather was.

Hopefully, the maids would continue to look after Heather until her mother returned. They _were_ good maids, but both Rose and Jackie had preferred doing things for themselves; they'd done that their whole lives, so why stop now? It was the first time ever Rose had to hope that the maids were there.

And the first time ever Jackie had to hope the same thing.

Rose locked eyes with her mother, and gave the tiniest of nods. It wasn't much, but it was a comforting gesture, and her mother responded with another nod, grateful, before shifting closer to Pete.

Rose shifted her gaze onto Mickey and Jake, who, ironically enough, had traced out a tic-tac-toe board on the dusty ground, and were having a game, completely ignoring their current predicament.

Rose gave a little snort of amusement in their honour.

Mickey glanced at her just after his turn, saying irritably, "You know, you never did say goodbye to me."

There was a pause as Rose processed this. She didn't say goodbye, but she asked her mother to say bye for her. "And you think of now to say it?" Rose responded, just as edgy.

"Ha!" Jake cried joyously, startling the guards outside the cell, "I won!"

"Rematch," was Mickey's immediate reply, temporarily forgetting about his conversation with Rose. And, probably, Rose reckoned, forgetting about the fact that he was stuck in a cell, surrounded by Torchwood agents who _weren't _on their side, and the world was currently in danger of vanishing due to a Time Lord weapon that wasn't supposed to exist.

Oh well.

At least he was distracting himself.

She let out another sigh.

At that moment, there was a scuffle, and the sound of something being dragged reached Rose's ears. She stood up quickly as Jorax passed her, dragging a body.

A familiar one.

Jorax dumped the Master's limp form into the centre of the cell next to hers. She couldn't help but stare in shock, even if she knew that Jorax wasn't exactly good. "Jorax," she called out, but he just glared at her and continued walking back the way he came with a flick of his dark brown cloak.

She returned her attention to the Master. His chest was rising and falling, so he was still breathing. He was still alive. Unconscious, maybe? She walked over to the bars that separated both cells and called out, trying to wake the Master up. "Master."

She looked up again as another dragging sound came, but this time it was Phantom. And, being dragged along behind him, was the Doctor, eyes closed, hair splayed out in all directions, and looking for all the world like he was about to start snoring.

"Doctor!" she tried to wake the shape sprawled on the ground.

Phantom gave her an ice-blue glare, and dumped the Doctor roughly into the same cell as the Master. Rose ran to the edge of the bars in anger. "What did you do to them?" she shouted, voice ringing through the room, an echo following it. But she didn't pay any heed; she was focused on Phantom's face, concern for the Doctor and the Master her priority. He responded to her by walking up to her cell, making himself eye level to Rose, and giving her a huge wink and a grin.

Her response was to slap him as hard as she could through her cell bars. It wasn't like her to do that, but she had seen red when Phantom had winked, and it had finally sunk in.

Phantom and Jorax, and possibly Loranos, were bad. And they had betrayed the Master's trust, the Doctor's trust. _Her_ trust. And the Officer's trust.

"Why did you kill the Officer?" she snarled at him, brown eyes narrowed dangerously, as he pulled himself together after her abrupt slap.

He advanced, seeming to tower over her even with bars separating them. "Because he would've stopped us," Phantom snarled back, voice lowered so no one but her could hear.

Rose stared at him closely, looking for any signs of remorse, or guilt, or sadness of the death of the Officer. "You… you don't regret it," she stated flatly, too shocked to sound angry.

Phantom made a swift movement with his hand as if to hit her. Almost instinctively, Rose flinched, and Phantom grinned manically again. "Consider, Rose," he whispered to her, blue eyes gleaming, mouth twitching up in the start of a smile, "I have other priorities."

She glared back at him, despite the fear she felt begin to churn in her stomach.

Phantom winked at her again, turning around and swaggering away.

Rose leant against the bars, spent. She closed her eyes, ignorant of the concerned gazes of those stuck in the same cell. The Officer had died. Phantom had killed him, right in front of her. And he showed no remorse. No guilt. No gut-wrenching churning in the pits of his belly that signified something was _wrong_. Nothing. Nothing at all.

She shook her head slowly, breaking herself out of her stupor. Glancing back at the Doctor and the Master, she made a vow to be strong- how could she be weak if the world was at stake? If her family's lives were at stake?

She forcefully pushed herself up from the bars, taking steps towards the conjoining cell. There, she sat down, focusing her line of vision at the Doctor and silently awaiting his return to consciousness.

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Hazy. Did he have fluff in his brain? Or maybe chestnuts. Chestnuts in his brain. That would be interesting. He recalled a time where he'd been captured by aliens, had an implant or something like that put in his brain, and it turned out to be a cashew. Chestnuts in his brain? Or was it just foggy? Foggy brain. Chestnut brain. Foggy chestnuts.

He hated chestnuts.

It all came back to him in a rush of memories. Loranos' body… the Master's honesty… _the Master wasn't bad_… the blue gas… _the Master was just unconscious_… the TARDIS… _destroyed_…

He bolted upright, and gave a groan as his head decided to tell him that shooting up was a bad idea. He placed his head on his hands, suddenly unsure if he could keep his head held up without support.

He heard muffled voices, then footsteps as they neared his position. He concentrated on them. Even… rapid pace… perfectly balanced… the Master.

"Doc?" came a lowered voice somewhere to his right.

"Hi," he groaned back.

"Doctor!" another voice cried out happily, one that the Doctor recognised.

"Rose!" he exclaimed back, surprised at how shaky his voice was. He blamed the foggy blue stuff for that.

"The foggy sensation goes away after a while," the Master told him.

He nodded.

More muffled voices, ones that he could recognise.

"Jake!" the Doctor greeted, voice growing stronger. "Mick-Rickety-Mickey!"

"That's me," Mickey responded, a strange note of relief in his voice.

There was another pause as the Doctor shook his head, his face screwed up in annoyance, eyes still tightly closed. "So," the Doctor sniffed the air. "Smells…" he started coughing. "Well, that's a load of dirt, isn't it?" he announced to no one in particular. "Dirt in the air!" he continued. "Dirt! Dusty… so we're in a cell. Or more."

"Two cells," Rose summarised for him. "One with you and the Master, the other with me, Mickey, Jake, Mum and Dad."

"Pete and Jackie?" the Doctor translated, confused. "Jackie? What's Jackie doing here?"

"Oi. The same reason you are," was the irritated reply. "We were captured-"

Another voice intruded. "By us."

The Doctor opened his eyes for the first time since he had woken. He made out the shapes of Jorax and Phantom, standing in front of both cells, and looking completely at ease. Phantom was grinning widely, but Jorax was the one that had spoken.

"Jorax," the Doctor stated. Jorax stared at him, darkened lavender eyes glittering dangerously, and the Doctor remembered with growing anger the vial of liquid Jorax had poured into the TARDIS.

"You destroyed the TARDIS," the Doctor snarled, voice so threatening that Jorax actually took a step back. "You _killed_ the TARDIS."

"_What_?!" the Master exclaimed, glancing at the Doctor in a mixture of shock and horror.

The Doctor continued to glare at Jorax, but responded to the Master. "He poured in Heliox solution."

The Doctor felt the Master bristle with fury, and he couldn't blame him. The Doctor was probably trembling with rage too.

"Heliox solution?" Rose inquired.

The Doctor answered this as well. "Heliox solution. A way to put old TARDIS' out of their suffering," it was said dangerously low, as the Doctor advanced towards Jorax menacingly. Unfortunately, that action was put off by the fact that the Doctor was behind bars.

"He put the TARDIS to sleep?" it was Mickey speaking this time.

"No," the Master shook his head, and advanced level to the Doctor. "Heliox solution… it was like acid to TARDIS'. Acid that slowly crept in… slowly and painfully tore you apart." By this time, the Master was spitting the words out, glaring at Jorax. "It was banned by the Time Lords, but scientists were still allowed to experiment with it."

Mickey wisely chose not to speak again. From behind the Doctor, and somewhere to his right, he sensed Rose trying to think of something to say, and silently urged her not to. This fight was for Time Lords. To his relief, no one from the joining cell spoke.

"You destroyed the TARDIS," the Doctor started. "You killed Loranos."

"And the Officer," the Master supplied.

The Doctor glanced at him in shock. "The Officer's dead?"

The Master nodded, hints of betrayal obvious in his sad eyes. "Rose told me while you were still out. Phantom stabbed him."

"_And I enjoyed it immensely_," Phantom told them in Gallifreyan.

"You-" the Master growled furiously, and the Doctor had to hold him back to prevent him from attempting to get to Phantom. The Master struggled for a second, before sagging into the Doctor's grip.

The Doctor released the Master, turning back towards Phantom. "_What do you gain by attacking Earth_?" he interrogated his captors in Gallifreyan. He wasn't sure if the humans would appreciate, or even understand, the answer.

Jorax spoke up, talking to the Doctor, continuing to speak their language. "_The satisfaction of watching your face as your life crumbles around you_."

"_This is to pay back the Doctor for what he did_," Phantom explained as if that justified everything.

The Doctor wasn't really shocked. People tried to hurt him as a form of primitive revenge, but this was completely different. He wasn't the Doctor that they knew. He wasn't the one that saved the lives of those Time Lords; he was the one that had killed all the Time Lords. "_I'm not the same Time Lord_," the Doctor tried.

Phantom nodded towards Jorax, who reached into his pocket and pressed a device, or, to be more precise, a button on the device. And the bars separating the captors from the captives wavered out of existence. The Doctor stepped forward, using this to his advantage. "_I wasn't the one who did whatever's making you look for revenge_," he placated.

Phantom punched him, knocking the startled Doctor to the floor and prompting a cacophony of noise from the others that were captive. Phantom glared at the downed form with rage in his blue eyes. "_Well, ironically enough, the Doctor from this universe is dead. So, I found someone else. And believe me, you will pay_."

The Doctor touched his already healing split lip tenderly. What had this universe's Doctor done that would have been so bad?

"_Doc didn't do anything wrong_," the Master argued. "_He saved our lives!_"

This time Phantom backhanded the Master, sending him sprawling over the Doctor and ending with a harsh knock against the wall. "_You_," Phantom hissed. "_You, who practically worshipped the Doctor. Do you know how many times I wished to slash that thought from your head? You hope to one day repay a debt to the Doctor. You are as pathetic as he was. And he still is_."

The Master stared at Phantom in shock, and the Doctor could feel the dismay and overwhelming sadness radiating off him. But the Doctor didn't speak, just gave a knowing glance at the Master before resuming his glare at Phantom.

No second chances. That was the kind of man he was. No forgiveness. Except for the one time he forgave the Master from his universe. Could he forgive again, if only to _not _become like Phantom?

Even if he could, he was in no mood for niceties, or for his normal exuberant speech. He felt the Master begin to glare at the two Time Lords, and knew instinctively that Rose had begun to glare as well.

Which reminded him of the Officer, and his death.

The Officer had died because the Phantom had stabbed him. Had it been in front of Rose and Jackie?

The Doctor glanced at Rose, and immediately recognised the haunted look in her eyes; the same one that he saw if he looked into a mirror. Rassilon… Rose had been there as Phantom stabbed the Officer. As the Officer had died.

And it was the Doctor's fault. If he hadn't come…

He was responsible for this.

And he had to stop it.

"You're going to be stopped," the Doctor vowed. "I'll stop you. I don't care what it takes."

The Master nodded from his position near the Doctor.

Jorax pressed a button again, and the bars wavered back in front of them. He grinned at them. "_I doubt it_," he breathed.

The Doctor stood, pressing his face against the bars. From the other cell, Rose imitated him.

"So should we start on Britain?" Phantom asked Jorax.

"No!" Jackie gasped.

Jorax stared at her for a second, before turning back to Phantom. "I think we should."

"No!" it was Rose this time.

Phantom mocked them by waving a goodbye. "See you later!" he gave them his custom wink.

The Doctor felt as opposed to saw Rose growing frustrated, and silently offered her his hand. She glanced at him in surprise, but took his hand in her own. And the Doctor suddenly considered how well their hands fit together, even through the bars of a cell.

Jorax swished his cloak, and the two began to walk away.

Rose was the one that stopped them, asking a question that no one had thought of until now. "Why is Torchwood helping you?"

Phantom turned around, facing Rose. "Because they wanted their families to survive."

The guards shuffled awkwardly, looking everywhere but Rose.

"Isn't it great?" Phantom exclaimed happily, grinning as he turned around and sauntered out after Jorax.

The Doctor felt himself bristle, and he tightened his grip on Rose's hand.

Rose squeezed back reassuringly.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

TBC…

_A/N_

_So, you like?_

_And, again, another cliffie- well, sort of. But it'll come together soon. Now, there is a part in this chapter that does mention something about the Master's and the Doctor's similar but different past (subtle as it is). Can anyone guess what it is?_

_And, again, not much romance this chapter- but, honestly, the first thing you'd think about when the world is being destroyed most definitely _isn't_ to kiss and pronounce your undying love to whoever you… undyingly love. You'd probably panic first, I'd imagine._

_Thanking people time!_

_Okay, first of all, to all my excellent reviewers: __**QuiteRightToo, VampMistress, NewDrWhoFan, gaiafreedom21, Iriahm, OfficiallyObsessedwithPyro, Erikstrulove, Kuro the Spork Queen **(who reviewed chapter 6 too)**, Talia-Taylor, CSITribe, M64, x-EmilyTennant-x, tylerfan23, MythStar Black Dragon **and** The Chibi's Are Stalking Me.**_

_Second, thankyou to the people who put this story on your favourites: __**Draco167, DramaQueen1133, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, Iriahm, JeMS7, Kaia-S, Mara Jade Snape, Princess of the Fae, QuiteRightToo, Rose Tyler, Rosie-Jess, Sunny angel, Talia-Taylor, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, Tigerprime, VampMistress, Wanabee, artistgirl727, awesomepwincess123, captaincatch, caromac, enneisilee, gaia-x-goddess, gaiafreedom21, jimmybeam, sparks733 **__and__** tylerfan23.**_

_Third, a huge round of applause and an exclusive offer to meet any of the cast of Doctor Who to the people who added me as a favourite author: __**Draco167, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, johnny-B-reading, Mara Jade Snape, QuiteRightToo, Rosie-Jess, Talia-Taylor, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, tylerfan23, VampMistress **__and __**Wanabee.**_

_Thanks also to those who added me to their author alert lists and who added this story to their alerts._

_So, I'll update soon, don't you worry!_

_SnowFox3_


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **I wanted to write this in Latin, but, alas, I could not remember the word 'own'. So I'll do it in English- I don't own Doctor Who. I make no profit writing this story. But I know that one day Doctor Who will rule the world.

_Here you go. As promised. Please enjoy._

_Oh, and there's more TenRose in this chapter._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Plan, plan, plan," the Doctor muttered to himself as he paced around the cell. "Plan, plan, plan…" There had to be something he could do. Something… _anything_. "Plan, plan, plan…" Some plan, of some shape, of some size. Just a plan. "Plan, plan, plan… I need a plan!" he shouted, making everyone jump.

But he didn't really care, too focused on trying to think of something to save the world. Again. Jorax and Phantom had been gone, according to the Doctor, about twenty hours. And in that time Rose and the Doctor had filled each other in on what had happened, respectively, to them. They had held hands for ten of those hours. Most of that time, though, Rose was sleeping. As was every other human in the adjacent cell. Sleeping. The Doctor found another flash of respect for the apes. Sleeping while the world was in danger… how utterly _stupid_! And yet, how unique!

During the time that the humans were sleeping, the Master took to pacing the cell, while the Doctor stayed against the bars separating the cells, hand in hand with Rose as she slept. The Doctor recalled the conversation he'd had with the Master when Rose had shifted, muttering his name.

_Flashback_

"_Doctor…" came a muffled whisper from the figure next to the Doctor._

"_Rose?" the Doctor replied, turning to her. "I didn't know you were awake."_

_Rose didn't respond, but continued to mutter the Doctor's name under her breath. "Doctor…"_

_The Doctor raised an eyebrow in amusement. "So this is a dream, huh?" he made sure to file this information at the back of his mind to use for blackmail material sometime in the future. Assuming, of course, that Rose would choose to travel with him. And assuming that they'd save the world._

"_Doctor," this mutter was louder, and Rose shifted positions in discomfort. _

_The Doctor stared at her, watching sweat start to bead on her pale forehead. She must have been having a nightmare. "Rose…"_

"_Doctor!" even louder than the previous, and the Doctor got alarmed when he saw Mickey shift so he flung an arm over Jake's sleeping form. This caused a reaction from Jake, who opened one eye and peered at Mickey with half-asleep bemusement, before shoving Mickey's arm off, and rolling over._

_The Doctor hadn't dared move during that escapade, but he let out a quiet chuckle after he began to hear Jake's breathing even out. "Guess what, Rose," he joked, "I think Mickey loves Jake!"_

_Rose's reply was only to roll towards him, throwing her other hand over the Doctor's leg, giving a little happy sigh, and snuggling up to the bars. The Doctor raised his eyebrow again. But he found that he enjoyed the sensation of Rose so close to him, and inadvertently gripped her hand a bit tighter. To this she rolled even further over, her arm wrapping around the Doctor's stomach and pulling him towards her. Which, naturally, was quite awkward given the fact that the Doctor was now pinned against the uncomfortable bars of the cells. He shot a quick glare at the Master, who had chosen at that moment to have a chuckle at the Doctor's expense._

_Well, even if the bars were digging in annoyingly, at least Rose wasn't having a nightmare any longer. He gave a sigh and leant back against the cool metal._

_After about five minutes of silence, apart from the gentle breathing of the cells occupants, the Master crouched over next to the Doctor, leaning his head against the metal in the same manner the Doctor was._

"_She loves you," the Master whispered to him, knowing that he shouldn't wake the sleeping humans- the Doctor had already warned him what half-asleep humans did when they were disturbed from their peaceful slumber._

"_I know," the Doctor whispered back. And how could he not? The words she had spoken on Bad Wolf Bay; the words that she had cried out to him; he'd never forgotten. It was too painful to remember, but too painful to forget._

_And so he had chosen, instead, to pretend it had been a dream, and not mention it, although he'd been tempted to._

"_A human and a Time Lord," the Master mused._

"_I can't, though. I can't stay with her. She'll die. She'll age, and wither, and die, and I'm not sure I can watch that." The Doctor surprised himself with such an honest answer._

_The Master paused for a second. "You love her," he breathed softly._

"_I shouldn't," was the Doctor's reply._

"_But you do," the Master argued quietly. "You love a human…"_

"_And I can't let anything happen!" the Doctor hissed. "What if I regenerate? She won't be able to deal with that… I don't want to put her through that again."_

"_Again?" the Master caught. "She stayed with you despite your regeneration?"_

"_Yes, but-"_

"_She loves _you_, not your face," the Master interrupted. "She wants to be with you. She was willing to trust me, of all beings, to get her back to you."_

_The Doctor tried to find something to respond back with. He couldn't be with Rose. He couldn't. He was a Time Lord. She was a human, nothing but a pebble in an ocean- one that would turn into nothing but sand, nothing but a memory. There was no way she'd like to stay with him if he regenerated again; and he wouldn't be surprised if he did. _

_As if reading his thoughts, the Master spoke, "You're not giving her enough credit. She would stay with you, if you show her how much she means to you."_

_The Doctor shook his head ever so slightly. "I can't do that. She deserves a normal life, one without threats of death or impending doom."_

"_She deserves to make her own decision," the Master replied gently._

_The Doctor couldn't find anything to argue with that. "Still…"_

"_Let her decide, Doc," the Master suggested. "Let her decide whether she wants to or not. Because I know you want to. I've seen the way you look at her."_

_The Doctor looked down, not wanting to give face to the thoughts running rampart around his head. "It doesn't matter what I want," the Doctor stated._

"_If it doesn't matter, let her choose," the Master encouraged._

_The Doctor was silent as he went over the information he had been given, idly rubbing Rose's hand with his thumb while doing so. When he realised what he was doing he stopped immediately, hoping that the Master hadn't noticed._

_If the Master noticed, he didn't mention it._

_Another couple of minutes went by in relative silence, before the Doctor's own curiosity got the better of him. "What made you stop searching power?" The Master looked at him in confusion, and the Doctor elaborated. "You had to look after kids, I know, but that wouldn't have stopped a thirst for power."_

"_It didn't," the Master confessed. "Not exactly, anyway." The Master took a deep breath, and the Doctor could sense that the answer wasn't really something that the Master wanted to dwell on._

"_You don't have to tell me," the Doctor said. "If you don't-"_

"_I used to tell the kids stories," the Master reminisced. "I used to tell them of a blue, spinning vortex. A vortex of unimaginable power. A vortex that made infinity a mere word. And they were enraptured. Enraptured in a lie of my doing."_

"_And they did something," the Doctor murmured._

"_One of them did something," he corrected. "A girl called Romana-"_

"_Romana?" the Doctor echoed._

"_Yeah," the Master nodded. "Why?"_

_The Doctor shook his head. "Romana was… a friend. Keep going," the Doctor encouraged despite the churning in his gut that told him he wasn't going to like what he was going to hear._

"_She was so eager to see the schism… when she did see it, she didn't want anyone else to see it. She killed her friend. She killed her friend because she didn't want to share the schism. And that was because I had told her about the power- I made an eight year old kill her only friend." The Master looked away._

_The Doctor couldn't help but stare. Romana… and she had killed… for power. Because of the Master. The Doctor took a shaky breath, before continuing. "But that taught you a lesson, didn't it? It stopped you."_

"_Yeah," the Master whispered. "It did. But it shouldn't have needed to."_

_The Doctor nodded at that. The Master closed his eyes, obviously not wishing to talk any more, and the Doctor followed, closing his eyes and entering a form of meditative state that would allow him to sort out his thoughts._

_End Flashback_

And now everyone was awake, and he was pacing around, trying to figure out how to save them all. He'd already tried to use his sonic screwdriver to somehow disable the bars, but all that ended up with was a very painful jolt and numbed fingers for an hour.

The sonic screwdriver… it had to be used for something, right? The Doctor kept pacing, this time trying to think of something simple. Something humanly simple.

"Oh!" he exclaimed suddenly, the idea coming to him in a rush. "I got it! I got it!"

"Is it contagious?" Rose responded dryly.

"Ha! Funny, Rose Tyler," the Doctor replied idly. "I've got the plan. Genius, if I do say so myself."

"Well, go on, spill," Rose encouraged.

"Sonic screwdriver!" the Doctor roared, making the guards jump. He glanced at them for a second, realising that he couldn't yell his idea out because they'd go blab to Jorax or Phantom. Instead, he walked to the bars separating the cells, and whispered conspiratorially, "Gather, my minions. Tonight, we revolt! Or today, depending on which way you look at it."

To the Doctor's delight, they did gather. He began to whisper the plan to them as he fiddled around with the settings of his beloved screwdriver. When he had finished, Jackie stared at him.

"That is your brilliant plan?!" she said incredulously.

"Yep," the Doctor nodded and gave his classic grin.

"It'll never work!" Jackie replied.

"Oh, be more optimistic," the Doctor patted her on her shoulder. "Pessimism is bad. Don't you think pessimism is bad? Rose? Don't you think pessimism is bad? Because I think it's bad. Optimistic! That's what I always say!"

To Rose, the Master muttered, "Is he always this exuberant?"

Rose glanced at him with a smile. "Nah, he's usually worse."

"Optimistic, Rose Tyler!" the Doctor butted in, planting his face between the Master and Rose, still grinning madly. "Optimistic!"

Pete spoke up. "Are you sure this will work?"

The Doctor nodded, suddenly serious. "All we have to do is pretend that I'm injured…they would try to stop my death, because they want to see me suffer."

The Master glanced at the Doctor. "What do you suppose we do then?"

"Then?"

"After they come into our cell," the Master provided.

"Oh. Getting ahead of myself, aren't I?" the Doctor paused. What were they going to do then? There was no way they'd get past the Time Lords _and_ the guards. But if they beat the Time Lords… the Torchwood people might change sides again. How was the Doctor supposed to take down Phantom and Jorax, though? He had a sudden recollection of something he had noticed when he had woken from the blue gas.

_He heard muffled voices, then footsteps as they neared his position. He concentrated on them. Even… rapid pace… perfectly balanced… the Master._

Perfectly balanced. Even. Perfectly balanced. That's it!

The Doctor turned to the Master. "While in academy, you didn't happen to make up a fighting style, did you?"

The Master looked at him in surprise. "Yeah. You helped make it up. Based for team fighting."

The Doctor grinned. "Feel like another go around if we need to?"

As if reading his mind, the Master grinned. "Sounds good."

The Doctor's smile widened. He could recall the details as if it were yesterday; the boredom of their young selves, before the Master became too cooped up in his desire for power. They had both decided to create a unique style of fighting; in which one would help the other, because of a bully Time Lord who had decided to make them the brunt of his outings.

And so they had created a new style, which had required hours and hours of meticulous research and physical training. Months spent practicing this style had been spent in exhaustion, as the only time they actually could go out and train was during the night. And so they got almost no sleep for four months straight, which ended up completely terrifying their parents when they finally had some sleep and woke a week later.

They'd beaten the bully though. The whole situation had been quite amusing. They weren't experts at martial arts, nowhere near experts, but they worked together well. It was almost as if they could understand what the other person was going to do, which made all the difference. The bully had run off after that, frightened, and the young friends had treated themselves to some _borrowed_ Time Lord delicacies. Yes. Borrowed. They had planned to return the food, but, alas, they ate it all.

And, apparently, the Master from this universe had the same experience.

"So, should I start now?" the Doctor asked everyone.

The Master nodded.

The Doctor handed Rose his sonic screwdriver. "Okay, when you press this button," the Doctor pointed it out, "Make sure you look away. It's going to be bright. Very bright."

"Got it," Rose confirmed.

The Doctor walked to the middle of the cell, and glanced at the Torchwood guards. "We're going to save the world, right? So don't mention anything."

One of the Torchwood guards nodded reluctantly. "Good luck."

The other stared. "You can't."

"I'm going to save the world," the Doctor asserted. "If you want your families to survive, you'd have better luck if you trusted _me_."

Both Torchwood agents nodded this time, albeit hesitantly.

The Doctor grinned at them, grinned at the people in the cells, and deliberately fell to the ground, starting to roll around in agony. To make the situation more realistic, he added a look of pain on his face and yelled in agony.

The Master glanced at him, and then called out. "Doc? _Doctor? _What's wrong? Are you okay?"

The Doctor inwardly grinned, continuing to act like he was in agony. The plan was working. Although he was annoyed at how hard the ground was, and he knew it would take _forever_ to get the dirt out of his favourite jacket.

He felt an unusual surge of vanity, and began to wonder if he still looked attractive despite his current predicament; albeit a self-induced predicament. Was he still cute? Did Rose still think he was sexy while he was rolling on the floor in fake agony?

Yeah. 'Course he was still sexy; he was the Doctor.

He guessed it took about three minutes of yelling and face scrunched up in pain and, by the others, calling out for help, before he heard the sounds of two sets of running feet approaching the cells.

He opened his eyes a sliver and surveyed Jorax and Phantom as they had a harried argument with the Master and Rose- but the Doctor couldn't hear any of it because he was still yelling in agony. His voice better survive after this. He kept rolling, but made sure each roll got him closer to the exit.

He saw the bars waver, and he spared a quick glance at Rose, who reached into her pocket and held up the sonic screwdriver, pressing down on the button, giving a shout to grant her the attention and closing her eyes, turning her face away. The Doctor closed his eyes, but he rolled smoothly out of the cell at the same time.

A huge blinding light emanated from the sonic screwdriver, casing everything within ten meters in a vivid white dome of dazzling light, before the dome began shrinking down. Jorax and Phantom, who had been unlucky enough to stare directly at the screwdriver before it flashed, were lying on the ground, clutching at their eyes. Which wasn't much of a surprise, really; Time Lords had marvellous senses, but sometimes that was more of a curse than a blessing.

The Doctor and the Master didn't get caught in the flash, or the aftermath. They had already started running, past the cells and through a door that was hidden by a wall. The Master flung open the door, and the Doctor sniffed the air. "That way," the Doctor pointed to the left.

The Master didn't nod; he had no reason to. The next sixty or so seconds were nothing more than sniffing the air and making sure they were heading the right direction in the maze of passageways. Left. Right. Left. Left. Forward. Oops, wrong way. Back. Right. Right.

They entered another door, and the Doctor grinned, relieved. "Here!" he announced happily.

They were in a main room of some sort, advanced computers scattered around the room, a couple of chairs loitering around, with a control console in the centre with a holographic display that both of them immediately recognised. They glanced at each other once, and then both made a sudden dash to the controls. The Doctor knew they didn't have much time. So did the Master.

And so the Master took the controls from above to try to stop the weapon, while the Doctor crouched down and looked for the conduits to try and destroy the weapon.

The next few seconds were a rush.

"The controls aren't responding," the Master called urgently.

"Have they been locked?" questioned from his position on the ground.

The Master tapped a few buttons on a holographic screen. "They've been locked. Can you bypass it?"

The Doctor reached into his pocket for his sonic screwdriver, fumbling around desperately for several wasted seconds before realising with a curse that he'd left the screwdriver with Rose. Old fashioned way it was, then. The Doctor pulled at wires, carefully but quickly, before rising back up to face the Master, brown hair even more spiked up than it usually was. "Can't bypass. Are you sure you don't know the code?"

"Don't know it," the Master replied insistently. "And I can't hack into it; the energy levels-"

_Energy levels… _"Are perfect!" the Doctor shouted, falling to his back to see the connecting wires better. "Do you have function over firing the weapon?"

"I can't turn it off," the Master was still trying to find a way to stop the weapon firing.

"Don't turn it off," the Doctor commanded, crossing some of the wires and hissing when a flurry of sparks came from the wires and over his face. "Vamp it to full power, but direct the energy beam the exact opposite direction of wherever the sun is."

The Master caught on quickly. "The energy-"

"Will propel it slowly into the sun, I know!" the Doctor finished. "Hurry!"

The Master pressed more buttons on the display, running around the circular console as he pressed specifically and in order. "Got it!"

The Doctor completed crossing the wires and stood up. "Me too! Disabled conduits. They won't be able to stop it!"

They stood back and smiled at each other in relief. Then the Doctor took the opportunity to survey the room further. Each computer had a different screen on it, most having a wide array of diagrams and charts. Two, however, didn't.

The first he walked to was a satellite feed, showing the Gallifreyan weapon. The Doctor beckoned the Master over to it. "How cool does this look?" he asked the Master excitedly when his fellow Time Lord had followed him to the screen.

And it did look cool. Model Fifteen was on at maximum, the ray of bright light standing out from the stark blackness of space, and the weapon was _moving_. Because of the enormous power and energy that was released from the weapon as it was firing, the propulsive force allowed extremely rapid movement from the weapon. However, even if it was fast, by the Doctor's calculations, it would take about half an hour before it reached the sun and disintegrated from the incredible heat. It was the most powerful weapon ever created, but a sun could still destroy it.

He kept watching the feed, captured by the sight of the last weapon of the Time Lords, heading towards the bright, bright sun. It was beautiful, in a strange, disturbing way. The Master stayed beside him, watching with as much fascination as the Doctor was.

A scream was what stopped the eager surveillance of the weapon's demise.

The Doctor lifted his head in concern. "That sounded like Jackie," he said. "But how could we hear it from-" He broke off, realising something, and ran to the opposite side of the room, where the other screen was that didn't have charts or diagrams. "It's a live video feed." The Doctor stared down at the screen with shock.

_A black and white Rose gasped with pain as Phantom tightened his grip on the knife against her throat. She tried to glare, almost pulling it off as well as the ninth doctor used to. _

"_Doctor? Master?" Phantom spoke, refusing to glance up. "I know you can hear me. Press the switch near this screen so I can also hear you."_

"What if we don't?" the Doctor thought aloud.

"_And if you don't, I will slit her human throat," the Phantom threatened, seemingly understanding what the Doctor might do._

The Master glanced at the Doctor once, flicking the switch.

"I'm here," the Doctor said.

"_Ah," Jorax, from behind Phantom, and only half in view of the camera, spoke. "So you did hear."_

"Yes. I heard," the Doctor stated bluntly, hiding his fear for Rose. "What do you want?"

"_You and the Master, back here," Phantom ordered. "And if you don't come back within a minute, I assure you Doctor… she _will_ die."_

"_Don't," Rose manoeuvred her head around, trying to spot the camera. "Don't listen to him, Doctor. Don't-"_

_Phantom pushed the knife a little deeper into her skin, and Rose broke off with a short gasp. Then a grainy Jackie entered the picture. "Don't you dare harm Rose," she screamed at Phantom. "I swear to you, if you harm Rose…" she trailed off, threatening all the while._

_Phantom grinned wickedly, and pulled Rose out sight of the camera._

_Jorax looked up at the camera, his eyes seeming white through the black and white colours coming from the screen. "Sixty seconds and counting, Doctor."_

The Doctor had lost any patience he might have had with the two Time Lords. He glanced at the Master. "Ready to fight?"

The Master nodded back, a blue fury in his eyes that made the Doctor respect him all the more. "I'm with you," the Master replied.

As one, they raced out of the control room, following the opposite pattern to get back.

Left.

_55 seconds…_

Left.

_46 seconds…_

Right.

_39 seconds…_

Right.

_28 seconds…_

Left.

_19 seconds…_

Right.

_11 seconds…_

Right.

The Doctor burst open the door, and stormed in, cloak flapping behind him. Next to him was the Master, just as furious. Directly in front of the Doctor, and outside the cells, was an enraged Rose, a knife held next to her neck, Phantom holding the knife. Jorax was standing next to Phantom. And in the cell were Mickey, Jake, Pete and Jackie, though Jackie was sitting on the dusty ground, dazed, with blood on her cheek from a cut. Which was probably why Rose was livid.

"Right," the Doctor said, taking in the situation with a glance. "I'm here now. Let Rose go."

Phantom gave a snort. "And what made you think I'd honour the deal?"

"Because," the Doctor snarled, "You want me. And if you harm her any more, you won't get me, I promise you."

Phantom snarled at him, but threw Rose to the bars separating her and her family. Rose hit the bars with relative force, even if the blow softened somewhat by her fast movement so her back was to the bars. She slid halfway down the bars, stopping when she had regained use of her wobbly legs.

"Rose," was Jackie's cry, as she got to her feet and dashed over to Rose as fast as she could.

The Doctor heard her, but he didn't focus on it. Through unspoken agreement, the Master and the Doctor knew it had to end. End here, and end _now_. Humans no longer mattered; this was for the sake of Gallifrey. For the TARDIS. For Loranos. For the Officer. And as much as the Doctor wanted to save Phantom and Jorax, he knew it was impossible. All in. Now or never. The Doctor didn't want anyone to die though; this wasn't a death match.

Phantom and Jorax seemed to understand this as well, for they positioned themselves opposite the Master and the Doctor, about five meters away.

The four of them stood as Time Lords, perhaps for the last time, proud and silent and still.

And then they fought.

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TBC…

_A/N_

_Any guesses to what will happen next?_

_Okay, I know… another cliffie. Yes, I am getting good at it… but the story isn't over yet! You've still got another five chapters to go… so… yeah…_

_I've got another huge lot of people to thank this chapter, so, once again, please bear with me._

_First, sincere thanks to those that reviewed the previous chapter- you have no idea how much reviews inspire me to write faster. I love 'em. So, the people: __**M64, x-EmilyTennant-x, Doctor-Lost, gaiafreedom21, Mini Librarian, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, QuiteRightToo, Erikstrulove, Kuro the Spork Queen **__and__** Tara-lov-Dr10 **__(who didn't review this chapter but reviewed chapters two, three and five)._

_Second, to the fantastic people who have put this story on your favourites: __**Draco167, DramaQueen1133, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, Iriahm, JeMS7, Kaia-S, Kuro the Spork Queen, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, Princess of the Fae, QuiteRightToo, Rose Tyler, Rosie-Jess, Sunny angel, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, Tigerprime, VampMistress, Wanabee, artistgirl727, awesomepwincess123, captaincatch, caromac, enneisilee, gaia-x-goddess, gaiafreedom21, helenluvsboo, jimmybeam, phantomphan85, sparks733 **__and__** tylerfan23.**_

_Third, and a free ride in the TARDIS with the tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler for those who added me as a favourite author: __**Draco167, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, johnny-B-reading, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, QuiteRightToo, Rosie-Jess, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, tylerfan23, VampMistress **__and __**Wanabee.**_

_Thanks, also, to those that added this story to their alerts, and who added me on their author alert lists._

_I really appreciate any kind of feedback- makes me a better writer. So thanks to those that have sent feedback._

_Until next update,_

_SnowFox3_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N_

**Disclaimer:** So, folks, let me tell you something that I obviously haven't had the chance to before. I don't own Doctor Who. I own some Doctor Who books though.

_Here's the update! It took longer than I thought to get out. Oh well._

_Read on._

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Rose gasped as her back hit the wall, and she scrambled to get her feet back under her as she began sliding towards the ground. She shook her head slightly, dazed.

"Rose!" her mother's voice cried, and Rose turned her head slightly to see Jackie wobble to her feet and run over to her.

"Mum," she replied. She glanced at the trail of blood on Jackie's face with concern, taking in the pallor of her mum's cheeks. "Are you okay?"

Jackie looked surprised. "Yeah… yeah... I'm fine. But are you-?"

"Yeah," Rose tried to get to her feet.

"Stop," Jake hissed from inside the cell. Rose frowned at him, confused. "Watch," he clarified.

Rose turned back towards the Doctor. "Wha…" she trailed off.

The Doctor and the Master were on one side, near where Rose was lying, while Phantom and Jorax were on the other.

Something that Rose couldn't fully comprehend passed through the Time Lords; something ancient. It was as if time, quite literally, stood still as the four seemed to reach an unspoken understanding.

The Master dashed forwards while the Doctor threw his brown coat to Rose. Rose caught it awkwardly, continuing to watch with bated breath for what would follow.

Phantom thrust out his fist, to which the Master dodged, giving Jorax the opportunity to punch the Master hard in the stomach.

The Master wheezed, backing off from the fight slightly as the Doctor entered the fray. The Doctor, to Rose's amazement, spun around and performed a low sweeping kick, knocking Jorax off his feet before he could get out of the way. She'd never known that the Doctor could fight hand-to-hand.

Phantom gave a snarl, and tried to kick the Doctor, but the Master blocked the kick with crossed arms, and gave Phantom a similar blow that sent him reeling back.

Rose watched in incredulity as the four Time Lords traded hits. As the Doctor yelped and reeled back from one particularly nasty forehand from Jorax, he gave Rose a glance that told her volumes.

_Get everyone out. While they're distracted._

Rose nodded imperceptibly, turning back to her friends and family still trapped in the cell. But how was she supposed to get them out? The device that had been used to open the cell- Jorax had it. It was probably still inside Jorax's coat pocket.

She took a quick glance at Jorax, who had ducked under the Doctor's fist and jumped over the Master's sweeping foot in two fluid movements. Rose frowned. How was she supposed the get Jorax's jacket?

"Doctor!" she called. "I need the coat!"

The Doctor glanced at her for a second as Phantom tried to kick him. "You've got my coat!"

"No," Rose replied loudly, "The other one!"

The Doctor seemed to understand, and he glanced once at the Master passing along a silent message. The Master nodded, and they both started to attack Phantom so they could get to Jorax.

The Doctor threw a roundhouse kick towards Phantom, and as Phantom ducked, the Master performed a vertical kick, hitting Phantom's face and knocking him backwards. Phantom staggered back into the wall and sunk down it, head lolling to the side.

The Master and the Doctor turned around and faced Jorax, who took an involuntary step backwards. Rose couldn't honestly blame him; the Doctor's eyes were a stormy black, swirling dangerously. The Master's blue eyes had darkened to a shade of navy.

"Open the cell," the Master ordered. "Now."

Jorax smirked, indigo eyes narrowing. "Guards," he commanded.

The two Torchwood guards raised their guns, directing them at the Master and the Doctor. Rose stepped forward quickly. "Wait."

She placed herself in between the guns and their target, staring intently at the Torchwood agents- whom she knew. The two were good friends. Thompson and Fraser. And she could tell that they were having misgivings.

Time to exploit that.

"The Master and the Doctor destroyed the weapon," Rose told them. In truth, she wasn't sure if they'd destroyed the weapon. She just hoped they did. "The weapon's gone," she bluffed. "You don't need to follow their commands anymore. You're families are safe."

Thompson and Fraser glanced at each other, unsure.

"She's right," the Doctor cut in, not taking his eyes off Jorax. "The weapon's been destroyed."

The two glanced at each other again.

"So…" Thompson said tentatively, "The weapon's destroyed?"

The Doctor spared a confused look at Thompson. "Isn't that what I just said?"

"We don't have to follow through," Fraser muttered to his friend.

Thompson nodded. "So… these two," he gestured vaguely to Jorax and Phantom.

"There are only them now," Rose confirmed.

Fraser strode forward; gaining a confidence that he had lacked mere minutes before. He raised his weapon, pointing it with unwavering determination at Jorax. "You caused this," he whispered. "You…" Fraser released the safety on the weapon.

"No!" the Doctor called. "Don't… don't shoot him."

The gun didn't move.

Rose could feel the desperation in the Doctor's tone as he spoke again. "Don't shoot. You don't want to have the guilt the rest of your life."

"I… I…" Fraser hesitated slightly, fingers over the trigger.

"That's right," the Doctor comforted, walking slowly over to get rid of the weapon.

Rose started as she heard the loud discharge of the weapon, and, with rising horror, watched Jorax's body fall to the ground like a puppet with its stings cut.

"No!" The Master and the Doctor gave matching cries as they ran over to the shape on the ground. Rose followed them, pushing past Fraser roughly.

"Oh," Rose gave a horrified gasp as she fully saw Jorax. His indigo eyes stared sightlessly up at the ceiling, a bullet hole in the middle of his neck. Blood had splattered on his pale features.

"Don't look," the Doctor gently tried to block her view. She obligingly turned around, not wanting to see the faded eyes of Jorax's body again.

"Couldn't he regenerate?" Rose heard the Doctor asked the Master.

"He was on his last," the Master replied.

Rose couldn't see what was happening, not that she wanted to, but she caught a rummaging sound, and then the cell's bars wavered and faded from sight. Placing the sombre thoughts of Jorax to the back of her mind, she smiled, relieved, running up to Jackie and hugging her happily. Her mum tightened the hug, and Rose could tell that she was smiling as well.

Rose broke off the hug, spinning around so she could hug her father. But when she caught sight of Pete, sharing hushed words with Fraser and Thompson, she reconsidered. She'd give Pete a hug later.

Rose took a closer look at Fraser's face; he looked guilty, but he also looked somewhat relieved, as did Thompson.

She sobered again upon catching sight of the Master mourning over Jorax's body, while the Doctor kept watch, standing behind the Master.

Loranos had died. Jorax had killed her, and now he was dead. The Officer had died. Phantom had killed him…

_Phantom…_

She spun around, but to her relief Phantom was still unconscious against the wall.

Knowing that the Doctor and the Master needed some time alone, she made her way over to Thompson and Fraser, planning to have a couple of words with them. She made out words from Pete's upon her arrival.

"... aware of how it feels to be threatened, but you two have to learn that it _will _happen on a daily basis while at Torchwood, it _will_ get messy, and you _won't_ always like the outcome."

"Yes, sir," Thompson muttered. Fraser just looked down, chagrined.

"I need to ask this, and I require a fully honest answer. Do you still wish to be a part of Torchwood, even with the danger involved? Can you handle it?" Pete was acting just like the leader he was.

Fraser glanced at Thompson. "We do want to stay," Fraser said for the both of them, "Sir."

"Okay," Pete nodded to the both of them. "I won't officially reprimand you, and I'll allow you to keep your jobs."

"Thank you, sir," Thompson breathed.

"But," Pete lowered his voice in the beginnings of a growl. "Consider this a warning. Don't expect such leniency again, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Thompson nodded.

"Fraser?" Pete glanced to Fraser.

"Yes, sir," Fraser agreed.

Pete visibly softened. "Now, as Torchwood agents, you have a job to do. Do you know the way out of here?"

Fraser gave a sharp nod. "Yes, sir."

"Okay. Hand me your radio, Thompson. You two get out of here, get back to Torchwood, and fill everyone else in about our situation. Tell them the weapon has been disarmed and the threat is gone. If there are any problems, radio me."

Thompson reached up and handed Pete his earpiece. "Yes, sir!"

"Good luck," Rose said to them. They needed support; that she could tell. Fraser still had a shocked glint in his eye- he hadn't really wanted to kill Jorax; it had just happened. Rose understood that. And she didn't have anything to add.

"Thankyou," Fraser gave her the ghost of a smile. Thompson glanced at his friend, who nodded back at him, and, with a final departing nod, they jogged off, through the door that the Doctor and the Master had gone through not long ago.

Rose took that opportunity to hug her father, who just as gladly returned it. Pete pulled back first. "Are you okay?"

Rose smiled. "Yeah," she answered. "Are you?"

Pete nodded and grinned. "Yeah." He paused, staring at the Master, who was still crouched over Jorax.

"He shouldn't have died," Rose whispered softly.

"I know," Pete agreed, sombre.

She allowed herself a second to mourn for Jorax.

The Master stood up slowly, brushing dirt off his jeans. He whispered something to the Doctor, who turned towards Rose.

Rose smiled at him, tongue poking through her teeth slightly as per normal.

The Doctor smiled his own crooked smile back at her.

Something out of the corner of her eye made her gasp. A flash of steel and an ice blue stare… "Look out!"

The Doctor spun around quickly, but it was too late. With a snarling grin, Phantom stabbed the knife deep into the Doctor's ribcage.

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The Doctor let out a strangled gasp as Phantom wrenched the knife out with a grin, and blood splattered over Phantom's face, making Phantom's blue eyes stand out eerily.

The Doctor's legs trembled beneath him as he struggled to stay standing. He put a hand over the wound; blood was pouring out, staining his suit. The knife had pierced between two ribs, not far from one of his hearts. A fiery, burning pain erupted from it, making him gasp again.

"Wha… wha…" the Doctor tried to say.

Phantom smirked, blood dripping down his face. "Die." And he thrust the knife forward, oblivious to Rose's screams.

The Doctor could only close his eyes as the knife drew closer.

Knife penetrated flesh.

And the Doctor opened his eyes in shock.

The knife was sticking out of the Master's back.

"No…" the Doctor whispered.

The Master grinned through his pain as Phantom, astonished, had paused. The Master gripped the knife with his left hand, pulling it out and stabbing it into Phantom with one movement.

Phantom gasped for breath, staggering back, the knife planted firmly into one of his hearts. The Doctor could only watch as Phantom fell to the ground not far from them, dead.

The Master collapsed. "D-doc."

The Doctor fell to his knees beside the Master, ignoring the pain, and placing a hand over the Master's wound. "No… not again…"

The Doctor's thoughts were in turmoil. The Master, once again, was in front of him. Dying.

"D-doc?"

The Doctor looked at the Master. Warm blue eyes were dimming to a pale blue shade. "Yeah, I'm here," he said. "Knife wound…just regenerate."

It was like the Master's death all over again.

"C'mon…" the Doctor encouraged, pain and grief clouding his senses. "Regenerate!"

The Master and the Doctor were engulfed in a bright white light for a second, and the Doctor almost laughed with relief.

No one noticed the light coming from Phantom's body. Nor did they notice a man wearing Phantom's bloodstained clothes disappear through a doorway that none of them had known existed.

But when the light surrounding the Master faded, the Doctor's relief ended.

The Master was still bleeding. And his appearance hadn't changed.

The Doctor frowned, sweat dripping down his face. "Wha-what happened?"

The Master's blue eyes met his. "I…" the Master coughed. "I did the transfer."

"What!" the Doctor exclaimed, wincing with pain as his wound flared. "That's impossible. It's a legend. A legend. Children's story."

Once again, the Doctor replayed the Master's death in his mind. It couldn't happen again. It just couldn't.

"Not a children's tale," the Master told him softly. "Not in… this universe anyway."

The Doctor shook his head in despair, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. "No… it's _not _true… regenerate!" the last word was yelled, despite the fiery pain that came with it. "Please… regenerate!"

"Can't," the Master whispered. "The tr-transfer… I don't have any regenerations left."

"No…" the Doctor denied. The Master had given up his last regeneration, for the _Doctor_. For _him_. The transfer- the giving of one's regeneration to another- was only a _myth_ in the Doctor's universe. A _myth_. And the Master had just proven it.

The Master gave him a weak grin. "I …always owed you my life."

"No!" the Doctor denied. "There has to be something we can do…"

The Master shook his head weakly. "N-n-nothing."

"But you _can't _die. You and me… we're like _brothers. _And we're the last Time Lords of two universes. You _can't _die."

"S-sorry, Doc," the Master whispered, closing his eyes.

"No…" the Doctor cried out, ignoring his physical pain as he hugged the Master's head closer to him. Tears fell down onto the Master's unmoving features, and the Doctor closed his own eyes, tears leaking out from behind his lids regardless of his best efforts to the contrary.

He put his head next to the Master's.

_Thump-thump._

The Doctor's tears halted abruptly. He stared in surprise. The Master wasn't dead yet; just unconscious. With one heartbeat.

_Thump-thump_.

A heartbeat that was fading fast.

The Doctor closed his eyes again, but this time, he was trying to concentrate. If the Master could give the Doctor the 'transfer', why couldn't the Doctor give the Master his own?

But he'd never been able to control his regenerations before. How was he supposed to do it? He concentrated on the pain the Master had to be feeling, imagining that the Master was glowing…_glowing_… and getting healed.

Knowing that he was doing it correctly, the Doctor continued to concentrate, ignoring the stabbing pain near one of his hearts.

But he was cut off as an explosion ripped through the back wall of the Doctor's old cell. He stared in shock. From about ten meters away, Rose, her mother and father, Jake and Mickey stood up shakily, having been thrown back by the blast.

As the smoke from the explosion faded somewhat, the Doctor made out the shape of a man he had never seen before, but immediately recognised. So Phantom had regenerated.

"Doctor!" the newly regenerated Phantom yelled, holding up something the Doctor couldn't see properly from where he was.

The Doctor glanced once at the Master. He hadn't finished the 'transfer' yet, so the Doctor had no idea if the Master would live or die.

He might live.

He might not.

But the Doctor knew he needed to see what Phantom wanted. So he whispered a quiet apology to the Master, who was still on the ground, and stood up.

He fell down just as quickly, pain striking through his chest. Breathing shallowly, he used his arms to pull him upright, and someone else's arm supported him as he stood.

Once standing, albeit weakly, he gave a grin to Rose, her arm still assisting him.

"Did Phantom regenerate again?" Rose asked the Doctor as they made their way towards Phantom and outside the building via the gaping hole that was left behind from the detonation.

The Doctor inwardly grinned. Rose was still as perceptive as she had been when they first met. "Yeah. He did. Wait… again?"

Rose seemed to look for words to say. "Long story."

Stepping carefully around the broken and charred pieces of the wall, Rose and the Doctor emerged into daylight. The Doctor breathed in the scent of fresh air, but stopped as a flash of pain reminded him that deep breathing was a bad idea.

Rose glanced at him, concerned, but didn't say anything. The Doctor stopped moving about two meters away from Phantom, surveying the changed Time Lord.

Phantom's new body was about average height, with messy brown hair and a lean build. As the Doctor stared, Phantom stared back with harsh amber eyes. There was something _different_ about Phantom, something that had nothing to do with appearance or new personality. But the Doctor couldn't place it. Just a finger out of reach.

Damn those short fingers.

Phantom didn't grin at the Doctor; instead, he gave the deadliest glare he could. Of course, the Doctor, being the Doctor, completely ignored it.

A scrabbling sound came from behind them, and the Doctor turned to see Jake, Mickey, Jackie and Pete walk out of the half-destroyed cell and into the light.

They stopped as a group just behind the Doctor and Rose. The Doctor, had he not been injured, would have made some flippant remark about the contradictory-ness- if that was a word- of human behaviour. One minute angry, the next respectful. It was completely absurd.

Of course, they were humans. Humans tended to be completely absurd. That was why the Doctor liked them so much.

He settled for raising an eyebrow at them, to which Jackie responded with a concerned type of glare.

He raised his other eyebrow, and lowered the first. Why was _Jackie_ of all people looking concerned? He almost sighed. Yes. That's right. He'd been stabbed. And, sure enough, blood almost completely covered the front of his _really nice shirt_.

At least the pain was growing a tiny bit more manageable. Thank Rassilon for Time Lord biology. And thank Rassilon for adrenaline- especially in high doses.

"Phantom," the Doctor addressed the Time Lord, rotating back to face him.

"Doctor," was the snarled reply.

"So…" the Doctor continued, moving forwards, not listening to Rose's protests, and ignoring the pain emanating from his chest. "You've regenerated. You look quite a bit shorter, let me tell you. And the eyes… amber, huh? That's certainly new. Amber-eyed Time Lord. Reminds me of cats. I don't much like cats."

Phantom didn't say anything, only twisted his arm behind him to pick up a bottle containing some type of liquid. Phantom, with a menacing glance, upended the bottle's contents over his head. A thick liquid trailed down Phantom's face, down his top, down his sleeves, over the bag he was holding, and ended in a puddle on the ground.

The Doctor didn't need to sniff the air to know it was paraffin oil.

Phantom stared at the Doctor, tossing the empty bottle aside and pulling two things out of the bag. The first was the device the Doctor and Rose had used to get to this universe. The other was a match.

"No!" the Doctor lurched forwards, the sudden jolt of pain knocking him down to the ground.

"Yes, Doctor," Phantom said.

"But…" the Doctor tried to stall, as he slowly got to his feet with Rose's help. "Why go to this length? Why not just try to kill me?"

"It seems I made the right decision," Phantom sneered, "You seem to be… _unhappy_ with the progress of events."

_That's for sure_. So, Phantom's new regeneration was observant. "Still… why not just try to kill me? You must still have the knife…" the Doctor was irritated by how weak his voice sounded due to his injury.

From behind him, Jackie yelled out, "Don't remind him, you idiot!"

Phantom reached into his pocket and pulled out the knife, staring intently at its blood-stained surface. Then he threw it into the ground, where it balanced on its tip. Phantom returned his gaze to the Doctor. "I have other means by which I can destroy you," he stated.

"But why?" the Doctor continued. "Why go to all these lengths," he gestured to the building, "To get to me?"

Phantom's face contorted into a snarl. "That… _Doctor_… is none of your concern."

"It's about me, isn't it?" the Doctor asked rhetorically. "Then I have a right to know." At Phantoms blank stare, the Doctor implored, "Oh, c'mon. If you're going to all this trouble to get to me, why not make my guilt levels skyrocket? Why not try to break me?"

To the Doctor's astonishment, Phantom actually paused to consider this. Which gave the Doctor extra time to creep forward, painful step by painful step, towards Phantom.

"You ended the Time War, Doctor," Phantom growled.

"Oh," the Doctor replied. "I thought that was the good part, myself, but do keep going."

"You killed all the daleks. You also killed the Time Lords."

The Doctor sighed inwardly. "Yeah, I did that back in my universe, too."

"There were not many that survived. Eight, to be precise. Myself, the Master, Loranos, the Officer, Jorax, and," here Phantom paused again, a grief-filled snarl coating his features. "And your wife, my wife, and my child."

The Doctor stiffened. "My… _wife_?"

Amber eyes scrutinised him closely. "Did you get married?"

"I-I…" the Doctor could feel Phantom's stare wearing him down. "I might've," he conceded.

Phantom curled up his nose. "Your wife, upon your death… changed. She tried to kill everybody, saying that the Doctor was whispering encouragements to her. Tell me Doctor… is this insanity? Or could it have been you?"

"There's no life after death," the Doctor denied. "There's nothing."

"You know as well as I do Doctor," Phantom remarked, "That's not what I mean."

The Doctor almost forgot to keep moving forwards. "What did my… wife… do?"

Phantom curled his nose again. "I'm sure you can provide adequate guesses."

"She killed them. Your wife, and your child."

Phantom's amber eyes glistened with unshed tears. "They died… they were killed by your wife… and your wife used the excuse that," Phantom began to tremble with pent-up rage, "That 'the Doctor' made her kill them."

The Doctor suddenly recognised the change in Phantom; the guilt and the overwhelming desire for revenge had taken over his feelings, his emotions, his thoughts. The Doctor shook his head. "You know as well as I do, Phantom, that the dead stay _dead_." Except, of course, one Captain Harkness, but the Doctor didn't mention that out loud.

Phantom snarled again. "You _know_ Doctor that I am not referring to death."

"My personality?" the Doctor frowned. "My past? My _emotions_?"

Phantom gave a short nod. "You, yourself, survived the Time War, after destroying all that you loved, am I right?"

The Doctor nodded mutely, another torrent of swirling emotions raging against his conscious.

"You are strong," Phantom told him. "The knowledge that you destroyed your entire race would have broken anyone else."

The Doctor gave a regretful grin, wincing at a sudden harsher flare from his ribcage. "The broken can be healed."

"And the healed are weakened as a result. Tell me, Doctor, how long can you stay healed before it starts cracking again?" Phantom stared him down. "Or have you already started to crack?"

The Doctor couldn't help the snarl that overtook his features at those words. He masked it quickly, but Phantom had already noticed.

"A deep crack?" Phantom suggested, not needing an answer.

The Doctor glared at him, for once unable to form an appropriate retort.

Phantom put the transportation device at his feet, directly into the puddle of oil. Slowly, obviously relishing every moment, he lit the match.

"Don't," the Doctor warned, moving a tiny bit closer. Inch by inch.

"Allow me to have my one, last moment," Phantom lifted the match above his head. "You will spend your life here, on this planet, separated from your universe and your life."

"Don't do this," the Doctor attempted to warn him. _Closer… closer… almost there…_

"I may not kill you," Phantom told the Doctor, "But I _will_ do this. You will be trapped here. I hope to Rassilon you enjoy it, _Sh'lotuk_."

Phantom dropped the flaming match.

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TBC…

_A/N_

_G'day all!_

_Alright, first of all, for all the Aussies or Canadians or American readers out there- paraffin oil is just another word for Kerosene._

_Also, yes. The device is not fireproof. Jorax created it; Jorax is evil. He skipped some parts. _

_Now for a ramble: Some people put 'daleks' in capitals. I don't. Why? Well, do we put the word 'humans' in capitals? No. So why should I put 'daleks' into capitals? 'Cos humans are obviously better than daleks. Although… daleks have cool lights…_

_Another thing: 'Sh'lotuk' is a made up Gallifreyan word- I have to thank __**M64**__for helping me chose a word. I'm sure you readers can give an approximation of what it means :)_

_Alright, now I've got to go on and thank people._

_First and foremost, huge cheers and thanks to those that reviewed last chapter: __**Doctor-Lost, Talia-Taylor **__(who reviewed the chapter 10 as well)__**, x-EmilyTennant-x, M64, scme, QuiteRightToo, gaiafreedom21, Sunny angel, NewDrWhoFan, Mini Librarian, Rosie-Jess **__(who reviewed chapter 9 as well__**), tylerfan23, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, Suuki-Aldrea, Kuro the Spork Queen, ILUVHOUSE, kettish, capemaynuts, gaia-x-goddess, rommie-rules **and** Lovelessheart18.**_

_Second, thankyou to all those that put this story on their favourites lists: __**Beneath the Rose, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, DramaQueen1133, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, ILUVHOUSE, Iriahm, JeMS7, Kaia-S, Kuro the Spork Queen, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, Princess of the Fae, QuiteRightToo, Rose Tyler, Rosie-Jess, Sunny angel, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, Tigerprime, VampMistress, Wanabee, artistgirl727, awesomepwincess123, captaincatch, caromac, enneisilee, gaia-x-goddess, gaiafreedom21, helenluvsboo, jimmybeam, rommie-rules, sparks733, tylerfan23 **__and__** yegbb10.**_

_Due to popular demand of Billie Piper clones and David Tennant clones, John Barrowman clones are now in stock. A John Barrowman clone to all those that put me on their favourite author list: __**Beneath the Rose, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, ILUVHOUSE, johnny-B-reading, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, QuiteRightToo, rommie-rules, Rosie-Jess, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, tylerfan23, VampMistress, Wanabee **__and__** x-EmilyTennant-x.**_

_I've also got to thank the people who put me on their author alerts, and the people who put this story on their story alerts._

_I love those reviews! Keep the comments coming!_

_SnowFox3_


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N_

**Disclaimer:** I'm going to pretend I'm six years old to add a little simplicity. Who owns Doctor Who? I don't own Doctor Who. Mummy, can I have my pocket money? Please?

_This chapter is going to be dedicated to worms. You'll find out why later in the chapter._

_Who cares about nine? Thirteen's now my favourite chapter. Unlucky Shmlucky. I like Thirteen._

_And we're walking…_

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"_I may not kill you," Phantom told the Doctor, "But I _will_ do this. You will be trapped here. I hope to Rassilon you enjoy it, _Sh'lotuk_."_

_Phantom dropped the flaming match_.

It was immediate.

A fire screamed into life, encompassing the large puddle of paraffin and spreading from the ground to up Phantom's body like some kind of backwards river. It was a sickening sight; the flames licked at Phantom's tanned skin in a passionate dance of burning and destroying, eating the flesh without remorse. It was so sickening it was almost beautiful, in a twisted sense of the word.

Rose stood still, just staring at the horrible sight, captured. And then she scented the ghastly smell of burning flesh, and gave an involuntary step back. The Doctor, on the other hand, ran forwards, in a lopsided fashion due to his injury, towards the flames.

"Doctor!" she yelled over the flames. Funny how she'd never thought flames would be loud. But they were; they seemed to demand attention as they flickered and spat and roared their fury to the world.

It was quite a scary sight to see Phantom engulfed by these raging flames.

It was an even scarier sight to see the Doctor run into the inferno, half-vanishing in the smoke.

"Doctor!" she yelled again, starting to get anxious. She dropped the Doctor's jacket, which she had hastily folded and placed under her arm when she helped the Doctor walk forward. She took a deep breath, and started to run into the flames after the Doctor.

She stopped before she entered the flames. The Doctor was staggering back out of the flames, singed, hair blackened and face smudged, clutching his chest with one hand and the transporter with the other. He swayed alarmingly, and Rose rushed to place her arm under his shoulders to support him. She helped him stagger away from the fire back to the other four people, picking up the Doctor's coat on the way back.

When she stopped next to Mickey, the Doctor sagged to the ground and relinquished his death grip on the device. Rose gasped as she saw the Doctor's badly burnt hand, which was now protectively hovering over his bleeding wound. _Bleeding_. Worry almost engulfed Rose, but with considerable effort she pushed it aside. There were greater things to deal with at the moment.

He looked up at her with still-inquisitive brown eyes. "S-screwdriver," he whispered.

Rose reached into her pocket obediently, pulling out the sonic screwdriver and handing it to him without a word. The Doctor scanned the device with the screwdriver; and Rose only then noticed the boils on the device. It wasn't fireproof. How was that possible? It was a device that travelled through universes- how could it not be fireproof?

"_This is the device you will use to return to your universe," Jorax told her._

Rose's eyes widened. Jorax had created it. He'd been the smart one when it came to it; she had been able to tell. Jorax had created the device. And, as Rose had conveniently found out, Jorax was bad. So why would he bother making it fireproof? Yep. He wouldn't. Because if he didn't make it fireproof, it could make the situation more difficult for the Doctor- and it _was _making the situation more difficult.

"Rose," the Doctor's voice brought Rose out of her musing.

"Yeah?" Rose glanced at him, concern radiating through her voice.

"Th-the transporter," the Doctor started, voice growing even weaker. "It'll only l-last one more j-j-journey."

"It can only work one more time?" she tried to hide her shock and disappointment.

"Fire… burnt it. It's damaged, Rose… we have to return _now_. Or it won't work again." The Doctor continued to use the sonic screwdriver to try to fix it. He glanced up at Rose's silence. "Do… do you want to come with me?" it was spoken hesitantly, uncertainly, and he refused to make eye contact.

Rose didn't bother glancing at her family, Mickey or Jake, who were standing over them, listening in. "Of course I'm coming," she confirmed.

The Doctor's eyes lit up with joy at Rose's words. "W-we have to leave now, Rose."

Rose felt torn. "Do I have time to say goodbye?" she asked, hopeful, but still wary of his wound.

The Doctor buzzed the screwdriver. "N-not long."

Rose turned and stood quickly. If she didn't have long to say goodbye, she had to do it quickly. She faced Jake first. The light-haired man gave her a warm smile.

"Jake Simmonds," Rose stated.

"Rose," Jake replied, eyes twinkling.

She hugged Jake, who returned the embrace. "You're a great friend," she said to him, pulling back. "I'll miss you." She turned to Mickey, once her boyfriend, now one of her closest friends and confidants. She felt tears start to gather at the corners of her eyes. "Mickey," she whispered. "I'll miss you too."

Mickey hugged her, and she leaned into the embrace, closing her eyes. "I'll miss you too, Rose."

Rose grinned, moving back. "I hope that thing you've got with Sharon works out."

Mickey looked surprised for a second, before smiling warmly. "You'd better make sure the Doctor looks after you, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rose tried not to sniff.

"Rose," the Doctor muttered, still crouched on the ground. "Not much longer."

Rose nodded and spun around to Pete. "Dad…" she whispered.

"Come here, Rose," Pete said to her, pulling her into a comforting, warm embrace. She gave a sob, putting her face in the crook of her father's shoulder. "I love you," she choked out, voice muffled, "Dad."

She felt Pete smile. "I love you too, Rose."

She grinned and sniffed.

"Rose," the Doctor warned. "We h-have to go."

She quickly broke off the hug and faced her mother. She paused, not knowing what to say. She opened her mouth, closed it. Opened it again.

"No need to say anything, Rose," Jackie breathed. "Just… be happy, yeah?"

Rose felt a tear run down her cheek. "Yeah, Mum." She gave her mother a long hug, not sobbing; she didn't want to spoil the moment. "I…I love you."

"I know," Jackie whispered. "I love you too."

"Rose!" the Doctor gave a croaked yell.

Jackie turned to him as if wanting to give the Doctor a piece of her mind, but thought better of it. _She thought better of it. _Jackie had refused an offer to argue with the Doctor, and it suddenly sunk in that Rose would never see her Mum or Dad again.

"You could come with us…" Rose tried.

"No," Jackie shook her head. "I belong with Pete. And he belongs here."

"But-"

"No," Jackie said gently.

"Rose!" another insistent call from the Doctor, along with a hacking cough. Jackie and Rose both glanced at him in concern.

Jackie turned back to Rose. "Listen," Rose's mother muttered to her quickly, "The Master… after you left, he came back. Gave us a device. Said that we could contact you with it."

Rose had a sudden flashback.

_Another man, hiding in shadows, walked out and handed Rose a different device, slightly smaller, looking almost like a light bulb except a pale blue in colour. Rose grabbed it, and stared at the old man in confusion._

"_Thankyou," Rose said, then upon realising who it was, grinned. "Thanks, Officer."_

"_It's a communication device," the Master told her. "It'll enable conversation between different universes, but only when both ends have a device such as this. I'll be giving one to your family after you leave."_

Rose smiled, a load off her mind, even though it brought back memories of the Officer. At least she'd be able to speak to her family again. "Where is it?" she asked Jackie.

"Back at home," Jackie replied. "Along with…" she trailed off, looking worried.

"Heather will be fine," Rose comforted. "She's a Tyler."

"Yeah," Jackie said softly.

"Just do me a favour, yeah?" Rose requested. "Tell her about me."

Jackie grinned this time. "Yeah… I will."

"Rose!" the Doctor tried to yell, but gasped in pain again.

"Bye," Rose announced to all of them, and crouched down beside the Doctor, noticing with growing concern that the bloodstain was still spreading. How much blood had he lost? How much blood _would_ he lose?

She was about to put her hand over the device to start it, but the Doctor held her back, addressing Jackie.

"The Master…" he started coughing, and Rose put her hand to his back to support him, her concern rising again. "He's… he might die. He could survive. I-I … don't know." The Doctor paused for a gasp of air. "… Bye, all!" And he pressed Rose's hand down on the device, his unburnt hand above it.

Rose watched as her mother, father and friends faded from sight, and then closed her eyes.

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The journey through the void seemed to be both longer and shorter than the Doctor remembered. Longer because it seemed to be slower because of the condition the device was in. Shorter because the pain in his chest made everything else seem inconsequential. He didn't dare open his eyes- he couldn't; the fiery sensation in his chest was overriding all his other senses, so much so that his eyes remained in permanent crinkles to show his pain. But even if he could, a spinning vortex of dark colours wasn't something he was in the mood for.

He felt a shift, and smelt the fresh air that indicated they'd reached the other side. He hit the ground hard, and his knife wound flared; a fiery, burning pain that almost overwhelmed him. He rolled over, groaning, placing a hand to his side. Okay. So maybe he'd overdone it.

"Doctor!" a voice demanded the Doctor's attention. He grinned inwardly. Rose Tyler.

He glanced at her. Rose's face was stained by the smoke that had been from the fire, her top with smudges of blood and dirt on it. The blood, he realised, was Time Lord. He could smell the rusty scent of the blood- and he could tell it wasn't human blood. He sniffed, wrinkling his nose at the same time. It was the Officer's blood, with smidgens of his own blood in the mix.

"Doctor?" the sweet voice persisted.

"Rose," he groaned.

He sniffed again. Something didn't seem right. Sure, they both smelt like fire, but this smell… it was as if something was burning. And that wasn't possible. Unless…

He glanced at the device, which was spitting sparks to no end. "Rose," he demanded. "Help me up."

Rose must have sensed the desperate note in his voice, for she silently and swiftly placed her arm under his shoulders and hauled him up.

As dizziness made him sway, he whispered in a confused awe, "You have muscles."

Rose snorted, following along, trying to hide her worry, but failing. "That's what you normally get when you have to drag Doctors around universes."

The Doctor focused on her snort. Why had she snorted? Ah, yes. He had stated that she had muscles. Well, what was so bad about that? The Doctor had been able to feel them as she helped him get to his feet. And it wasn't as if muscles were dangerous. Unless they were assisting someone to punch you, of course. Then they were dangerous. "Are you going to punch me?" he asked her.

Rose frowned at him in confusion. "No," was all she said.

"Well, that's quite a relief." He sniffed the air again. Burning… stench… yucky… stronger… stronger… still yucky… stronger… He glanced back at the device with curiosity. Why was the device burning? "Ooh!" the Doctor announced upon figuring it out, holding up one hand and shaking it around in the air like some crazed football fan. "It's gonna blow!"

Rose stared at him in surprise. "Blow?"

But he was too busy staring at his hand to listen to her. It wriggled. It made funny movements as it wriggled in the air. It wriggled some more. Was his hand a worm? It wormed like a worm. Was his hand supposed to worm like a worm? Was his hand supposed to wriggle then worm like a worm? He turned his head to the side in amazement as he realised something. "Rose," he said in pride, "My hand's worming!"

Rose just stared at him.

"You know… worming?" She had to know what worming was, right? How could she not know? "Worms, you know? The invertebrates? Worms?"

"Worms?" she stated, somewhat disbelieving.

"Yeah, worms!" the Doctor grinned. "Those slimy little things that wriggle a lot? Live under the ground? Yeah?"

"_Worms?_" she repeated, still disbelieving.

"Yeah! Under the ground!" he paused, considering something else that Rose _had _to find at least the slight bit interesting. "Did you know there're people called worm charmers? Yeah, they try to get worms out from the ground." The Doctor grinned madly. "Some of them tap dance. A little tap dance to get worms out of the ground? Yeah, no problem!" he had to stop talking to breath in air, ignoring the flaring of pain that accompanied it. "There's even a worm charming competition! How cool is that?"

Rose only blinked.

"_And_ there's a festival! Guess what it's called, Rose! Guess!" the Doctor paused for a millisecond. "It's called the Worm Gruntin' festival! And it started in Florida… in a place called Sopchoppy! Sopchoppy! Brilliant name, Sopchoppy. Sopchoppy, Sopchoppy, Sopchoppy. And Sopchoppy says that Sopchoppy is the Worm Gruntin' Capital of the World! Sopchoppy, the Worm Gruntin' capital!"

"Doctor," Rose said slowly, as if talking to a child. "Are you okay?"

"Sopchoppy!" he bellowed, stopping when the pain made him stop. He raised his eyebrows when Rose started moving towards the TARDIS, forcing him to come with her. "What was I talking about?" he asked, confused. "Ah! That's right!" he wriggled his hand again. "Worming hand!"

"Doctor," Rose muttered, tone disapproving, still moving towards the TARDIS.

He felt somewhat hurt. "It is!" he exclaimed. "It's worming! I'm not tricking!"

And, as if to prove the Doctor wasn't tricking, the device, like he had expected, glowed brighter and promptly blew up.

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Rose had heard of the term 'waking up to a world of pain', but she'd never fully appreciated it until now. She let out a small moan as she tried to recall what had happened, and tried not to give in to the nausea she was feeling.

"_It is!" he exclaimed. "It's worming! I'm not tricking!"_

_No. He wasn't tricking. He was just delirious. From the pain probably; but delirious all the same. She opened her mouth to say something back, but the Doctor's head spun around to face the device. She followed suit. The device was glowing, building up from a dull glow to a whining bright glow. The whine grew louder, and suddenly stopped. Her eyes narrowed, and she knew instinctively that something was about to happen; a loud whining noise that abruptly cuts off was most definitely bad news. The device exploded, sending the Doctor and herself flying backwards. She hit something solid with a sharp jolt, and she knew no more._

_Doctor..._

The Doctor!

She opened her eyes, closing them immediately when the world appeared upside down, and began spinning, rotation after strange rotation. She cracked her lids open, slower this time, and the world righted; they were on the stingray-planet, the same place they had been when they had decided to go to the alternate universe. She moved her head to the side, realising that she'd knocked herself out because she'd crashed into the TARDIS. She felt the back of her head. Sure enough, a large lump protruded from the back of her head, tender to the touch. She winced. The TARDIS was definitely sturdy, to say the least.

She turned around, searching for the Doctor. There he was, lying a meter away from her, on his stomach, hair still blackened and face towards Rose. She used her hands to push herself to a crouching position, expecting and waiting out the dizziness that followed. She probably had a concussion. Good for her. Rose stood shakily, reaching a hand out to lean on the TARDIS' wooden exterior to keep her balance. She took a deep breath of air, and staggered towards the Doctor. She bent over, not daring to crouch lest she couldn't get up again.

He was still alive, that she could sense. She nudged him softly. "Doctor," she whispered. No reply. "Doctor," she tried again, this time a bit louder, but to no avail. Concern rising, she gently turned the Doctor over. A stain of red on the ground marked where his chest had been, and his head lolled to the side. Still bleeding? The wound was worse than she had first thought. "Doctor!" she called out. The Doctor gave a tiny groan, barely audible, but did not wake. She looked at the injury he'd gained again. She had to get him help. The med-lab. There was a med-lab in the TARDIS; she had to get the Doctor there.

Rose placed one of his arms over her shoulders, and placed her own arm underneath his shoulders. There, that part was easy. Now for the hard part. She straightened her legs slowly, feeling her knees pop because she was supporting his weight as well. Awkwardly, head still swirling, she half-carried, half-dragged him to the TARDIS. She tried to tug open the TARDIS' door. It didn't open, and Rose remembered she had to unlock it. She reached below her shirt, pulling out the string with the key attached. She couldn't help the grin. First time back unlocking and opening the TARDIS. She placed the key in the slot and rotated it until she heard the familiar tiny click. She swung open the door, letting the key dangle over her jacket.

She stared at the narrow entrance for a second, before she walked in sideways; the Doctor's feet dragging along the ground as she hauled- _carried –_him inside the huge ship. The TARDIS hummed a greeting to her, making her smile back and whisper, "Hello." She'd gotten a grasp of the TARDIS' unique communications after a while, and she had almost forgotten the rhythmic and soothing quality of it. She hadn't exactly focused on it when she had been in the TARDIS just mere days before. She continued to walk, holding up the Doctor, to the med-lab, but a wave of vertigo so powerful rocked through her and caused her to fall to her knees, the Doctor becoming loosened from her grip and falling onto the floor of the TARDIS. He let out a groan, while the TARDIS vibrated in concern.

She closed her eyes as the vertigo slowly faded, reopening them when the nauseas sensation had ended. Okay. Recheck on that plan. There was no way she could possibly walk, lugging the Doctor, all the way to the medical facility, not if she couldn't walk with him a couple of metres. She sighed glumly. The TARDIS must have sensed her discomfort, for the living ship hummed reassurance to her.

Right then. If she couldn't get the Doctor to the medical bay, she had to get him somewhere else. This particular planet, while beautiful, had no other medical facilities to get to. Which left only one option. Could she fly the TARDIS? She'd seen the Doctor do it enough, but she didn't understand the Gallifreyan words that crossed the screen, because the Doctor had never translated it for her. But… maybe… if she could get the TARDIS to translate it for her, she'd be able to fly it. As if reading her mind, the TARDIS hummed in agreement, and Rose suddenly found the screens change to bursts of English. She stood up, wobbling over to the console, and stared at the screen. Incomprehensible amounts of words passed across the screen in unreadably fast torrents, and it was all she could do to hold back the nausea that made itself known to her. Too much movement. The screens were dizzying.

And Rose remembered: the Doctor could read a whole book in less than five seconds. It wasn't really surprising that he would be able to read everything that emerged on the screen with little difficulty, and understand it. "Could you… slow it down?" she asked the TARDIS, feeling slightly weird.

The TARDIS whined, and the words on the screen slowed to much more manageable, and readable, levels. "Okay," Rose muttered to herself, leaning against the TARDIS controls as a wave of light-headedness passed through her. When it ended, she focused her gaze at the controls. To start, she had to figure out where she would go. Her first response would be New Earth, but she didn't know exactly where New Earth was located. So maybe just go to Earth. Earth had medics. Next; how was she supposed to set the travel instructions? Turning back to the screen as something caught her eye, Rose peered at the one word that flashed continually.

_Galaxy: …_

Alright, so she had to enter the galaxy first. How? She tried pressing a couple of buttons near the screen, but winced as one emitted a high screeching sound for several long seconds. So the random pressing of buttons was a bad idea. She moved over to the levers and other things that the Doctor had normally used to set the times. She glanced closely at the levers, looking for some kind of display that showed where to pull, or push, the lever to. There was no such guide. It occurred to Rose then that the TARDIS did have a degree of psychic connection that was involved. So why would that change? She closed her eyesand pulled the lever downward, thinking _Milky Way_ all the while. When she opened her eyes, she gave a sigh of relief at the words on the screen.

_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 45307-OG._

_System: …_

She looked at the next lever. This time, she pushed it forwards, thinking of _The Solar System_. She opened her eyes again, and turned towards the screen.

_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 45307-OG._

_System: Enabled. Yeksnoft, 7381352-OS._

_Planet: …_

She raised her eyebrow. Yeksnoft. Weird name. Although, if she thought about it rationally, her race had named it 'the solar system', which, admittedly, was quite bland. Second-last lever. She closed her eyes again, and pulled down the lever, repeating '_Earth, Earth, Earth_' in her head. Opening her eyes, she frowned in confusion

_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 45307-OG._

_System: Enabled. Yeksnoft, 7381352-OS._

_Planet: Disabled. Reset Parameters._

She closed her eyes again and thought of Earth. But, once again, the same thing flashed before her eyes. _Reset Parameters… Reset Parameters… _She tried again. And when that didn't work, she tried a fourth time. Still not working. "Why won't you work!" she announced in frustration, wincing as pain crossed her head. The TARDIS hummed something in reply, and Rose's eyes widened. She had put in the wrong Solar System?

She turned back to the second lever. This time, she pulled it down, thinking of the solar system. Again, she looked up.

_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 45307-OG._

_System: Enabled. Yeksnoft, 7381352-OS._

_Planet: …_

She gave a sigh of disappointment. And promptly tried again. When that also didn't work, she ceased movement and pondered. What if 'The Solar System' wasn't the name the Time Lords had put in the TARDIS? She smiled as the humming of the TARDIS indicated she was on the right track. Almost instantly after that, she frowned. So the Time Lords had changed the name of the Solar System. How was she going to figure out the name?

Well, she might as well start with guessing. But, after five failed ideas, one being 'Humans', she hit the console with a fist in anger.

The TARDIS hummed her something else, which made her brown eyes stretch wide. _The Doctor_ had _nicknamed_ some of the systems? She grinned. How typical. And, again, she frowned. The Doctor, in his exuberant and wild personality, could have put anything as the nickname. The TARDIS cut into her thoughts with a gentle buzz, and placed a thought at the top of her mind. Slightly speechless, she tried it, pushing the lever forwards, and glancing back towards the screen.

_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 45307-OG._

_System: Enabled. Rose's, 8305905-OS._

_Planet: …_

She gave a shocked gasp. She hadn't really expected that to work. She stared lovingly at the unconscious Doctor for several long moments. "Thanks," she whispered at last. She felt a tear run down her face, and she brushed at it. Focus on her emotions later. First, she had to get the Doctor some help.

Next lever. Think of Earth.

_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 4563007-OG._

_System: Enabled. Rose's, 8305905-OS._

_Planet: Enabled. Earth, 03-FS._

_Date: …_

She grinned, suddenly giddy. She was about to fly the TARDIS! She was setting the controls, about to fly the TARDIS! She sobered, though, upon realising that the Doctor wouldn't really be aware of it. She kept her eyes open as she pulled the last lever, thinking of the same date it had been just before she had left- _27 December, 2007._ She read the screen.

_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 45307-OG._

_System: Enabled. Rose's, 8305905-OS._

_Planet: Enabled. Earth, 03-FS._

_Date: Enabled. 27.12, 2007-AD._

_City: …_

Well, that was an easy one. London, of course. But there was no levers left- she'd already used them all. But next to the lever was a little knobbly-thing, so she turned that and pictured London in all its glory.

_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 45307-OG._

_System: Enabled. Rose's, 8305905-OS._

_Planet: Enabled. Earth, 03-FS._

_Date: Enabled. 27.12, 2007-AD._

_City: Enabled. London, 2471-GB._

Immediately, the TARDIS' centre began to move up and down, and she let out a relieved sigh, and massaged her aching head, while trying to hold back the nausea. She'd almost forgotten that she had a concussion. Well, she remembered now.

But she was flying the TARDIS! She smiled widely, and glanced again at the Doctor, as she grabbed on to the console in preparation for what could, and probably would, be a rough voyage. The Doctor was still unconscious, and she stared resolutely at him. "I promise, Doctor," Rose whispered. "I'll get help."

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TBC…

_A/N_

_So, enjoy it? I sure enjoyed writing it. And the worm-thing- it's all true. Go look it up if you don't believe me. When I read it, I burst out laughing, thinking 'Oh, yeah, this is for the Doctor.'_

_And now, a special once-in-a-lifetime chance to get inside my thoughts. Okay, I've got a question for all those curious. In this chapter, the TARDIS' screen shows a travel request._

'_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 45307-OG._

_System: Enabled. Rose's, 8305905-OS._

_Planet: Enabled. Earth, 03-FS._

_Date: Enabled. 27.12, 2007-AD._

_City: Enabled. London, 2471-GB.'_

_Now, I'm sure everyone can guess what AD stands for, but can you guess the others? Whoever gets one or more correct will have the next chapter dedicated to them._

_Thanking people time!_

_First, huge cheers and thankyou's to those that reviewed the previous chapter: __**kettish, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, capemaynuts, Talia-Taylor, horsemaniac, ILUVHOUSE, Erikstrulove, x-EmilyTennant-x, scme, Mini Librarian, VampMistress, sparks733, gaia-x-goddess, Doctor-Lost, Lovelessheart18, QuiteRightToo, gaiafreedom21, Lozz Sparrow, M64 **__and __**Sesa28. **_

_Second, even more huge cheers for those who put this story on their favourites lists: __**Beneath the Rose, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, DramaQueen1133, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, ILUVHOUSE, Iriahm, JeMS7, Kaia-S, Kuro the Spork Queen, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, Princess of the Fae, QuiteRightToo, Rose Tyler, Rosie-Jess, Sesa28, Sunny angel, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, Tigerprime, VampMistress, Wanabee, artistgirl727, awesomepwincess123, captaincatch, caromac, enneisilee, gaia-x-goddess, gaiafreedom21, helenluvsboo, horsemaniac, jimmybeam, rommie-rules, sparks733, tylerfan23 **__and__** yegbb10.**_

_Now the clones seem to be doing well, and we (at the clone-making industry) have suddenly had a major breakthrough. We met the Doctor. A Doctor clone (yes, we clone all the different regenerations, from the first to Valeyard) for all that put me as a favourite author: __**ataralasse, Beneath the Rose, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, ILUVHOUSE, johnny-B-reading, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, QuiteRightToo, rommie-rules, Rosie-Jess, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, tylerfan23, VampMistress, Wanabee **__and__** x-EmilyTennant-x.**_

_Thanks also to those that put this story on story alerts, and put me on author alerts._

_Loving the comments! Please… continue!_

_SnowFox3_


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **G'day mate! I don't own Doctor Who, mate!

_Hey all._

_Sorry about the lateness of this chapter- it took a while to get out. Add that to the fact that we recently got a kitten (called her Amazon- suits her really well); I've been a bit busy._

_But it's out now, so never fear!_

_First, though, you want to see the answers from last chapter, right? Yeah._

'_Travel Request:_

_Galaxy: Enabled. Milky Way, 45307-OG. (OG stands for Oldest Galaxy)_

_System: Enabled. Rose's, 8305905-OS. (OS stands for Oldest System)_

_Planet: Enabled. Earth, 03-FS. (FS stands for From Sun)_

_Date: Enabled. 27.12, 2007-AD. (AD stands for Anno Domini)_

_City: Enabled. London, 2471-GB.' (GB stands for Great Britain)_

_Congratulations to all those that guessed one or more correct. This chapter is dedicated to all you geniuses: **My mum **(who just _had _to be put here)**, laal ratty, artistgirl727, capemaynuts, x-EmilyTennant-x, Mini Librarian, Rosie-Jess, gaiafreedom21, gaia-x-goddess **and** Sarah.**_

_Read on, all! More Martha this chapter, by the way._

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Martha Jones gave a happy grin as she slung her handbag over her shoulder after a highly successful day at work, walking towards her street. She had decided to get some exercise, and had stopped off the bus about four stops early. She needed more exercise; travelling with the Doctor had told her that. She'd gotten back into her job routine after minimal hassles, and she had correctly guessed a case of Thymoma in a patient complaining of nothing more than a cough. She was more than happy; Thymoma was such a rare disease, and she'd gotten it correct on a wild presumption- her supervising Doctor had told her to think of some other possible diagnoses.

Martha knew it had been a test; Doctor Bennett had told her that after the fact, but that didn't change the happy, bubbly feeling that was rising in her chest. The tumour had been benign- she'd been told that after the fact, too. The surgery to remove it was scheduled in three days time, which, again, she'd found out after the makeshift test.

Doctor Bennett had mentioned something about getting more privileges in regards to testing labs, which had made her feel like she was floating in a dream. She was one step closer to becoming a Doctor. One step closer to her life-long goal.

She was thinking less and less of the Doctor each day, which was a huge improvement. It had been two weeks since she'd reunited Rose and the Doctor. She still didn't regret it; Rose _wanted_ to continue to travel with the Doctor. Meanwhile, Martha had been the one to want to leave. She didn't, and never would, regret her decision.

And everything had seemed better once she'd returned from journeying with the Doctor; her mother and father were back together- slightly awkward because of the years not talking to each other, but well on the road back. Her entire family had changed, and there was a definite lack of hostility and tension in the air where once there was plenty. Martha hadn't yet gotten an apartment, but she found it didn't bother her much.

Because her family was moving on, and for once, they were moving on as a _family_. And Martha, despite feeling it wouldn't last, enjoyed it immensely. She started humming her favourite song as she continued to walk down the street near her own.

An unearthly but hauntingly beautiful grating sound made her pause. She knew that sound; she could recognise it from anywhere. But what was the Doctor doing here?

The TARDIS rematerialised about twenty meters away from where she was standing, and she waited for the Doctor or Rose to open the door. After no-one did open it, she approached the time machine slowly, withdrawing the TARDIS key she still had.

She turned it over in her hands, giving the Doctor a chance to open the door, wondering why he hadn't already done so. When the door still remained closed, Martha quickly unlocked the door, and, with a deep breath, opened the door.

She surveyed the situation in front of her with shock. The Doctor was lying in a huddle on the right of the TARDIS, his back to Martha, and Rose was leaning against the controls, eyes closed tightly, face scrunched up in pain, with dots of red on her clothes that Martha could tell was blood.

Martha rushed forward in concern. "Rose?"

Rose opened her lids and surveyed Martha with surprised eyes, though Martha noticed they were glazed. "Martha?"

"What happened?" Martha inspected Rose's white-knuckled grip on the TARDIS' console with worry.

"Uh…" Rose swallowed. She seemed to pause as something came to her. "Martha?"

"Yeah," Martha confirmed, worry building.

Rose sighed in relief. "Great. Great. You're here. Really, really good."

"Rose," Martha said slowly, "Are you okay?"

Rose stopped leaning against the console and swayed for a second before regaining her balance. She ran over to the sprawled shape of the Doctor, and Martha had to jump backwards in order to not get trampled. "Rose?" Martha repeated.

Rose turned the Doctor onto his back, and Martha gave a gasp of horror. "Doctor!" Martha said in alarm as she fell to her knees beside the collapsed Time Lord. The Doctor's face was smudged and blackened, as if he'd been halfway through a fire and back again. His clothes… Martha couldn't help the wide-eyed horror as she saw his familiar blue suit, dampened with blood. She touched the suit, hand immediately coming away with red, sticky blood. "God…" she whispered. _Pulse_. She put her fingers to his wrist, feeling only one heart beating. And beating slowly- well, slower than the normal one hundred and seventy beats per minute.

To Martha's shock, Rose put her arm underneath the Doctor's shoulders and half-hauled him upright, holding him awkwardly and trying to stay on her own feet.

Martha tried to stop her; it wasn't going to help the Doctor if he was moved. "Rose… Rose, you can't move him."

Rose gave her a desperate glance. "Med-lab," was all she said.

_Right_. Yeah, yeah. They needed to get him to the med-lab of the TARDIS. It was the one place that Martha had first asked to see inside the TARDIS, and the one place that Martha had truly felt speechless at. It couldn't bring a person back to life; that was impossible. But the sheer _capacity_ of it- the abilities of the place- had astounded her. Martha took some of the Doctor's weight off Rose's shoulders by slinging one of the Doctor's arms over her own shoulders. "C'mon," Martha encouraged Rose, and together they both supported the Doctor as they moved step by step towards the lab.

"Yeah, I know," Rose whispered.

Martha frowned, but continued walking. "Rose?"

Rose ignored her. "What about you? Can you do _anything_?"

"I _am_ doing something," Martha replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Are you okay, Rose?" Martha asked again. Confusion. Glazed eyes. Concussion probably. How very helpful.

Rose glanced at Martha. "Sorry, I wasn't talking to you," she told Martha.

"Who were you talking to?" Martha inquired. She figured that if Rose and herself kept walking, it didn't matter if Martha exploited the hallucination.

"The TARDIS," Rose said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Martha stumbled and almost fell. If anything, that answer _wasn't _what she had been expecting. She regained her balance and sped up slightly. "The TARDIS?"

Rose swayed suddenly, and leant against the corridor of the TARDIS while closing her eyes. Martha stopped alongside her, knowing for the moment that there was nothing she could do to help Rose until she'd helped the Doctor.

Rose gave her head a shake and started moving forward again. That was a mistake. Rose's legs gave out under her and she fell to the ground, unintentionally dragging the Doctor and Martha with her.

"Rose?" Martha called, as Rose grasped at her head in pain. "_Rose_?" Concern for the two travellers engulfed Martha like a fog. What had happened to them, to leave them as injured as they were? In all the adventures Martha had with the Doctor, she'd come to believe that they'd always get out unscathed. As Martha gently lowered the Doctor's immobile form to the ground and scrambled to Rose, Martha realised she had been wrong.

"Pain in the head?" Martha asked Rose. Rose glanced up at her with what seemed to be an incredible effort. Martha held up two fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Rose stared for a second. "D'you reckon you could do me a favour and stop moving them around?" Rose sighed. "I know I've got a concussion."

"How'd you hit your head?" Martha asked Rose. If Rose did indeed have a concussion, head trauma was the likely cause. And where there was head trauma, there usually was a mark.

Rose held a shaky hand to the back of her head, touching a spot with tender fingers. Martha placed her own fingers gently on the back of Rose's head, feeling immediately the large inflammation partially hidden by blonde hair. "That's a nasty one," Martha told Rose. "Are you sure you can help-"

Martha was cut off as a flash of light, so bright that she had to cover her eyes, surrounded the corridor of the TARDIS in its strange glow. When the ethereal light faded, Martha opened her eyes a squint, and looked in surprise at Rose. "What was _that_?"

Rose looked back, equally shocked, before whispering, "Oh… _no_…" Rose rushed to the Doctor, and Martha followed suit, slightly confused.

"Rose," Martha questioned. "What was that?"

Martha was even more confused when Rose reeled back in surprise when she saw the Doctor's face.

"What?" Rose exclaimed. "_What_?"

"What?" Martha asked her. "What was that?"

"H-his face," Rose replied.

Martha frowned. "Nothing's wrong with it," Martha stated. "It's exactly the same."

"That's the point," Rose muttered. "If he's… but that's not…"

"What?" Martha repeated again stupidly.

"I don't know." Rose tore open the bloodstained suit in an animalistic fashion, and Martha had no idea what to think. When she saw the Doctor's chest with a tiny, tiny cut on it, her eyebrows rose. For a second, she wondered if the Doctor's blood clotted- had the cut really been only that? Only a small laceration? The amount of blood that covered the Doctor didn't really seem like it came from a cut that small. Maybe it wasn't the Doctor's blood. But as she watched, the small cut faded into a dark pink scar, which lightened and faded into nothing except unblemished skin.

"_What?_" it was Martha's turn to exclaim. She touched the area where the wound had been- nothing was there. A smooth surface, no protrusions or dents in the skin or anything like that. And that had to be impossible, right? "How is this _possible_?" she gave voice to the thoughts in her head.

"I don't know…" Rose muttered, inspecting the Doctor's face.

"I mean," Martha was still blurting out her thoughts. "How could he _heal_ so fast? I know he's a Time Lord, but…"

"Oh, that," Rose dismissed. "That's not surprising."

Martha frowned again.

"Regeneration," Rose clarified. She paused. "Did he tell you about regeneration?"

"Oh," Martha's eyes widened. "Yeah, yeah, he did." She'd just completely forgotten about it. The Doctor had told her about it while on the S.S. Pentallian, but she hadn't fully understood until he'd explained it later. She'd been absolutely fascinated. And now, she'd forgotten. How stupid of her. She gave herself a shake. Maybe she'd been focused on the human aspect of medical care a bit more than she'd originally thought, because she had failed to remember the Doctor's unique circumstances. This also, in a strange way, comforted her, because it once again showed that she wasn't fully obsessed with the Doctor anymore.

"But his _face_," Rose put one hand on the Doctor's cheek. "His _face_… is the _same_… why is it the same?"

Martha realised that she'd forgotten about the cell replacement as well- the changing of appearances, like the Master had changed his appearance. She reached towards the Doctor's neck, checking for a pulse. Double heartbeat… the fast pulse that was normal for a Time Lord… he was fine. This made no sense, considering that the Doctor was supposed to have changed his face. "Maybe…" Martha tried. "Maybe the Doctor… I don't know, maybe he had a different way to heal himself."

Rose started to shake her head, but appeared to think better of it and stop. "No," Rose denied. "He… if that was possible… he would've done that last time." Then Rose paused. "But the Doctor and the Master were talking about some kind of transfer… maybe this was what was supposed to happen…"

"Transfer?" Martha repeated. "_Master_?"

"Long story," Rose sighed, and put a hand up to massage her temples. "We'll find out later."

"C'mon," Martha told Rose. "Med-lab, yeah? Let's get that concussion fixed." The Doctor was fine, for the time being. So, now, the priority was Rose. And then Martha would ask about the Master and the transfer and anything else related to either of them.

But Rose stubbornly shook her head, forehead tightening in pain at the movement. "No. The Doctor first."

"The Doctor's just sleeping," Martha attempted to convince her. And he was only sleeping, too. His brows were no longer creased in pain, and all his features had softened in the manner that announced _siesta_ to the world. And Martha had checked all his vitals, like any competent doctor would do.

"The Doctor first," Rose repeated, and removed her hands from her head in a display of decisiveness. "He got stabbed."

Martha nodded, knowing there was nothing she could say to Rose to deter her. "Right then," Martha told Rose, "Can you help me with him?"

Together, slowly and carefully, they hoisted the Doctor up, and, each with an arm underneath the Doctor's shoulders, they started the time-consuming process of carrying him to the medical bay. Mindful of Rose's head damage, Martha made sure to take more of the Doctor's weight, which, if Rose noticed, she didn't comment on.

The TARDIS made a weird chirrup-hum sound, and Rose, who seemed to have the Doctor's ability to translate it into English, gave a thankful grin. Rose turned her head to Martha. "The med-lab's this way," Rose pointed to a corridor that Martha hadn't seen before, to their left.

"No… it isn't," Martha replied, confused. "It's up ahead."

Rose shook her head ever so slightly. "The TARDIS moved it closer."

"_Moved_ it?!" Martha exclaimed sceptically.

"Yeah."

Martha got the distinct impression that she was making herself out to be an idiot. If the TARDIS _could _move the rooms around- which, in all likelihood, was a definite possibility, Martha should have known, right? So why didn't she know? Maybe it didn't happen often. Maybe it took too much power. "Right," said Martha, reaching a decision. "Left it is."

Rose led the way down the half-lit corridor and through another door that Martha easily recognised as the med-lab's, what with the strange coral pillars incorporated into the entranceway. So the TARDIS was capable of rearranging the rooms.

Martha and Rose gently laid the prone Doctor on the stretcher, and Martha leant back with a sigh, stretching her muscles. Rose delicately lifted the Doctor's head, fluffing up the pillow underneath, before planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

Martha turned away, feeling an unwelcome surge of envy, not willing to watch. She regretted it a second later. _She _was the one who'd reunited the Doctor and Rose. _She _was the one who'd made that decision. _She _was the one to pay for that decision. And _Rose _had nothing to do with it. It had been Martha's choice and her choice alone.

Martha turned back, and to her relief, Rose had seated herself next to the Doctor's bed, and was watching him with unreadable eyes. But even with unreadable eyes, Martha could see as plainly as the sky the deep-rooted affection Rose had for the Doctor. Deeper than Martha's. And it would always be deeper than Martha's.

Martha closed her eyes, taking a long breath and releasing it in a loud sigh. She had a sudden pang of anger; Martha had been fine before the TARDIS had made a return appearance. And now here she was, conflicting emotions running through her brain like a torrential rainfall.

And then she mentally shook herself. The inhabitants of the TARDIS had been injured, hurt. There was no way they would have been able to survive on their own. Even if she counted the Doctor's regeneration-that-wasn't.

Martha had done the right thing. The sooner she could get that into her head, the better. "Right," Martha announced, rising and moving to Rose. "Let's get that concussion fixed now, yeah?"

Rose glanced once at the Doctor, but to Martha's relief, she nodded without protest. "Alright."

Martha directed Rose to sit down on the exam table, which was at the other side of the medium-sized room. Martha grabbed the head-healer-thing, as she'd so called it because she hadn't been able to catch the Doctor's name for it in the burst of talking that followed, and she carried it with her on the way.

She instructed Rose to keep still, and Martha made sure the healing device had the right settings before holding it above the lump on the back of Rose's head.

"When'd you learn this?" Rose asked her as Martha changed the settings of the device again.

"The Doctor taught me," Martha replied idly, putting the healing-thing back against Rose's head. When Rose silently gestured for her to carry on, Martha explained. "I'm a Doctor. Well, almost. And the first place I went inside the TARDIS, other than my room, was the med-lab. He taught me how to use this," Martha lifted the device, "When he'd given himself a concussion- minor, as it was- from banging his head on the console in the control room."

"He gave himself a concussion?!" Rose repeated.

"Yeah!" Martha laughed. "You know how he's always fiddling around with the TARDIS?"

"Oh, do I ever!" Rose replied, a smile breaking out. "Did he bang his head on the way out?"

"Oh, yeah, to say the least! You should've seen his face, all confused, hair everywhere!"

"I can imagine," Rose let out a laugh.

The device made a beeping sound, and Martha lifted it away, inspecting the back of Rose's head for signs of injury. The lump had gone. "No pain?"

Rose shook her head. "Nope."

"Dizziness? Feeling sick?"

"No." Rose stood up from the table with gusto. "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome," Martha fixed her gaze on the Doctor's sleeping form, blood stains and black smudges on his clothes. "What happened?"

Martha had never been a good listener. She'd always been the one to _act_ on information, or question it. She wasn't the kind of person to listen. But even so, she found herself silent as Rose explained to her the long story- and Rose was right, it was a _long_ story. Silent with awe, or fascination, or curiosity she didn't know. Certainly, it was more silent then Martha had been in a long time.

"… and the Master… kind of glowed," Rose paused, trying to find the words. "Like… he and the Doctor were engulfed in light. Blinding light. I had to look away, close my eyes. I opened them when the light faded, and the Master told the Doctor something about 'giving him the transfer'. The Doctor said it was a myth… a story, and-"

"Story? The name toclafane was from a children's story…" Martha interrupted.

"Tocla-what?"

"Oh," Martha waved a hand in dismissal, "That. Never mind."

Rose nodded. "Well, the Master stopped moving, and the Doctor thought he was dead, so…"

Martha tuned out as she heard that. Master, seemingly dead? It had uncanny similarities to the Master's death in this universe. Martha felt a sudden pang for the Doctor. She couldn't come close to imagining the grief and pain the Doctor must have gone through- having the last of his race die in front of him, adversary to the end. And suddenly, being thrust into a world with _more _Time Lords, _more_ of his race, and _more _that were evil. Of course, the Doctor had stopped them destroying the world. By using the weapon's beam against it, too. How typical.

"Martha? Hello?"

Martha looked up in surprise. "Wha?"

"Are you listening?" Rose didn't seem angry, only bemused.

"Mm, yeah, sorry."

Rose took a deep breath, and began explaining the rest. How the Doctor had managed to glow the same way the Master did. How Phantom had regenerated without any of them noticing. How Phantom had the device… and how he'd had the match. How he'd set fire to himself. How the Doctor had recovered the transporter. How Rose had said her goodbyes. How they'd returned back to this universe, with use of the device. How the device had blown up. How Rose had gotten them inside the TARDIS. And finally, how Rose had flown the TARDIS to Earth.

Martha was, to put it loosely, a tad bit overwhelmed. "You _flew_ the TARDIS?"

"I did, yeah," Rose grinned at Martha, who was oddly reminded of the Doctor's wide, manic grins.

"He taught you?"

"No, no, of course not," Rose chuckled. "The Doctor wouldn't let anyone near the TARDIS controls."

That was for certain. Martha lowered her eyebrows. "How'd you know how to fly it then? 'Cause I really don't understand any of the levers and pulleys and knobs and stuff. "

"I don't either," Rose replied. "I just… sort of… guessed."

"You _guessed_ how to fly the TARDIS?" was Martha's incredulous retort. "You _guessed_ how to fly a time machine?!"

Rose shrugged. "Yeah."

Oh, Martha had heard everything now. Not that she didn't believe Rose; Martha was just completely and utterly shocked. "How do you guess how to fly a time machine?"

Rose shrugged again, with a sheepish smile. "I got the TARDIS to help me."

"Oh."

And there it was again. The TARDIS had helped her. Martha didn't fully believe the TARDIS was alive, at least, not to the extent of the Doctor or, apparently, Rose. Martha just considered the TARDIS to be more like an artificial intelligence, or something like that, which, in reality, was probably quite discourteous. Martha knew that the TARDIS was alive, but the extent, she wasn't convinced.

"Well, that's the story," Rose brought Martha out of her musing. "After that, I came here. But… what's the date today?"

"Why?"

"I want to see how good I flew the TARDIS," Rose replied honestly.

"It's the tenth of January," Martha recalled.

Rose's face turned into slight disappointment. "So close…"

"How did you… I mean, what did you set the date for?"

Rose calculated. "Exactly two weeks ago, I think."

Martha raised an eyebrow. "Two weeks ago?"

"Not too bad for my first flight," Rose grinned. "I suppose it's harder than it looks."

"Maybe the TARDIS is just old."

"Probably," Rose agreed, "It's been around for as long as the Doctor, if not longer."

Martha nodded.

A noise from behind them, a muffled groan, and a call, made the two turn around.

"Rose?" was the softest of mutters from the Doctor.

Rose immediately rushed to his side. "Doctor?"

"Rose?" the mutter came again. "Don't leave, Rose."

Martha, by Rose's side, whispered, "He's still asleep."

"Rose?" this call was louder, more desperate. "Rose? Please… don't go…" The next few sentences from the Doctor were mumbled and barely distinguishable. "Rose… TARDIS… absorbed the heart… wolf… brilliant, Rose, just brilliant… the French know how to party, oh, yes… goodbye… Sopchoppy, Sopchoppy, Sopchoppy. Really got to go there… worms, Rose, worms, lots and lots of worms…" the rest was lost in a fit of restless tossing on the Doctor's behalf.

Martha stared at Rose. "The French know how to party? _Worms_?"

Rose's mouth tweaked upwards in the beginnings of a smile. "Hard to explain."

Martha nodded, and a pause settled over them. Rose sat herself back down at the chair on the Doctor's left side, while Martha stood at the foot of the bed. Rose held the Doctor's hand in her own, and Martha was left feeling awkward and slightly out of place. "I'll come back later," Martha declared softly to thin air, not expecting a reply.

But as she turned to leave, Rose whispered, "Martha."

Martha turned back around to face Rose.

Rose stared at Martha in pure appreciation. "Thankyou for calling the Doctor," she said honestly, eyes glittering.

Martha's lips curled up in the ghost of a smile, and she turned, heart lighter, to walk out of the room.

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Two hours later, Martha, who had been spending the time wandering around the many corridors of the TARDIS, strolled back into the med-lab to check on the Doctor and Rose.

She smiled gently at what she saw, trying to forgo the jealousy. "I guess I'll come back later," a whisper to no one in particular but thin air. This time, Martha knew she wouldn't get a response.

She walked out again, the gentle smile still her main expression.

Behind her, Rose, lying on the same bed as the Doctor, nestled closer to the sleeping Time Lord, and in return the Doctor placed one protective arm around the exhausted Rose.

And on they slept, both with small smiles on their faces.

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TBC…

_A/N_

_Well, well. Here we are again. What did you think of the chapter? Enjoy it? Hate it? I'm actually not really satisfied with this chapter, but I'm not really sure why. Hm…_

_There is a part in this chapter that gives something away about what the sequel is about… any guesses as to what it was? It's subtle…_

_Anyway, not much to say, really. So I'll go straight to thanking people:_

_First, gigantic thanks to those that reviewed the previous chapter: __**Talia-Taylor, Lozz Sparrow, Suuki-Aldrea, laal ratty, ILUVHOUSE, JeMS7, artistgirl727, Kuro the Spork Queen, capemaynuts, Doctor-Lost, x-EmilyTennant-x, Random Nonsence, Mini Librarian, Rosie-Jess, gaiafreedom21, sparks733, Lovelessheart18, M64, gaia-x-goddess **__and__** Sarah.**_

_Second, cheering and a huge thankyou for those who put this story on their favourites lists: __**Beneath the Rose, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, DramaQueen1133, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, ILUVHOUSE, Iriahm, JeMS7, Kaia-S, Kuro the Spork Queen, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, Princess of the Fae, QuiteRightToo, Random Nonsence, Rose Tyler, Rosie-Jess, Sesa28, Sunny angel, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, Tigerprime, VampMistress, Wanabee, artistgirl727, awesomepwincess123, captaincatch, caromac, enneisilee, gaia-x-goddess, gaiafreedom21, gryphalkon, helenluvsboo, horsemaniac, jimmybeam, rommie-rules, sparks733, tylerfan23, x-EmilyTennant-x **__and__** yegbb10.**_

_Well, since you have the Doctor clone, it is only fair that you get a Rose Tyler clone. A Rose Tyler Clone (with an optional Bad Wolf upgrade) to all those that put me as their favourite author: __**ataralasse, Beneath the Rose, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, ILUVHOUSE, johnny-B-reading, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, QuiteRightToo, Random Nonsence, rommie-rules, Rosie-Jess, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, tylerfan23, VampMistress, Wanabee, windpoetry **__and__** x-EmilyTennant-x.**_

_Thanks also to those that put this story on their story alerts lists and those that put me on their author alert lists._

_Fourteen chapters down, two to go._

_See ya next time! And please… review!_

_SnowFox3_


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N_

**Disclaimer: **I can claim no ownership of Doctor Who, sadly enough. Money is something I don't have a lot of. But, honestly, I find money to be nothing but shaped metal. Stupid money ruling the world.

_Hi everyone!_

_And I'm _so_ sorry about the wait this chapter. I've just started back at school, and, once again, it has tightened its hold on my life._

_But the chapter is here now! So you can have fun reading it!_

_This chapter is dedicated to all my friends. Most notably, the ones that will actually read and notice this: __**M64 **__and __**Talia Taylor.**_

_And forward we go!_

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Mm. Comfy.

He snuggled closer to the teddy bear that the TARDIS must have somehow given to him overnight, and scrunched his eyes up tighter. Sleep wasn't as bad as he'd given it credit for. He gave a soft sigh and nuzzled his head into the soft, silky strands of the bear. Hmm. The bear had hair. Long hair. He almost jumped when the bear cuddled back.

Ooh, a _functional_ teddy bear!

And a very functional teddy bear it was. It shifted positions, almost like it needed to find some way of becoming even more comfortable. It breathed, in and out, in and out. Softly and rhythmically, which was excellent; he couldn't imagine a snoring teddy bear getting purchased anywhere. Although… a snoring teddy bear would be perfect for a prank…

But when the bear shifted again and placed an arm along with a head snugly over his chest, the Doctor opened his eyes wide with shock.

Those arms were most certainly _not_ from a teddy bear.

He glanced downwards slowly, as if afraid to look. Blonde hair was splayed over his chest like a cascading fountain, the head resting on his chest as if he was a pillow.

Well, hello Rose. Nice to see you. A bit unexpected, but I'm sure we can work our way around that, right?

First of all, what was she doing asleep in his bed?

Groggy as he was, he recalled the events that had occurred- and his eyes darkened involuntarily as he considered how the whole situation had gone to pieces.

Bunching his hands into fists, he remembered the Time Lords, the pure _joy_ of meeting more Time Lords, tempered by the mistrust he had of the Master.

Like always, he had been wrong. Of course, if he'd said that he always believed himself to be wrong, there would be loud denials ringing through the air within seconds. The point still remained though; he had been wrong.

The Master wasn't the one he should've been worried about. If he'd only _thought_… _wondered_ why Jorax had gone to all that effort to build the device… because it was _never _only from the good of their hearts. There was always a reason. And the Doctor had forgotten that, so cooped up he'd been in the miraculous return of Rose.

If Rose had never come back, it would never have happened. But then, he was more than ecstatic to have her back, so much so that he couldn't find words to properly describe it, even with his huge vocabulary.

It was because the Doctor had agreed to return to the alternate universe. If he'd never agreed, the alternate Earth wouldn't have been attacked.

So, it was his fault.

And he didn't even know how many lives- _existences _–had been wiped out because of it. He had no idea how many were gone. No idea at all. And it twisted his hearts into wrenched shapes because of it.

Time was time, though. Whatever had to happen, had to happen. Whatever did happen happened. Nothing he could do to change that. Live in the present, they always said. For him, it'd be more like living in the past and the future. Merely a benefit of being a Time Lord.

Time Lord.

The Master.

The Doctor had no idea if the transfer had worked, so he didn't know if he was the last Time Lord of two universes instead of one.

The Master had dived in to save him. Why?

_Knife penetrated flesh._

_And the Doctor opened his eyes in shock._

_The knife was sticking out of the Master's back._

The Master had saved him, and the Master didn't even know him. But the Master had cared enough to do it anyway.

And although the Doctor was near delighted to know that not all Master's were bad, he was also distressed and hurt; the Master in his universe had been bad, and his universe was the one that counted.

Even so, the Doctor couldn't help repeating the conversation he'd had with the Master.

…"_She loves you," the Master whispered to him, knowing that he shouldn't wake the sleeping humans- the Doctor had already warned him what half-asleep humans did when they were disturbed from their peaceful slumber._

"_I know," the Doctor whispered back. And how could he not? The words she had spoken on Bad Wolf Bay; the words that she had cried out to him; he'd never forgotten. It was too painful to remember, but too painful to forget._

… _The Master paused for a second. "You love her," he breathed softly._

"_I shouldn't," was the Doctor's reply._

"_But you do," the Master argued quietly. "You love a human…"_

…"_Let her decide, Doc," the Master suggested. "Let her decide whether she wants to or not. Because I know you want to. I've seen the way you look at her."_

_The Doctor looked down, not wanting to give face to the thoughts running rampart around his head. "It doesn't matter what I want," the Doctor stated._

"_If it doesn't matter, let her choose," the Master encouraged._

Let her choose.

_Let her choose_.

Her choice, one way or another.

The Doctor could do that. If he was honest with himself, which he didn't often do, he would say that _yes_, he did care for her more than he should. And _yes_, he wanted it to go further. But if Rose didn't want that, he could live with it. He had to.

As if hearing the unspoken words, Rose tightened her grip, pulling the Doctor closer to her and somehow managing to get some of her hair over the Doctor's face.

The Doctor let out his breath in a small sneeze as the hairs tickled his face and nose. Rose let out a soft exhale, and eyes opened into slits. Groggy, Rose muttered with her voice muffled, "Hmph mm."

Which, for some reason, the TARDIS didn't translate. The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, didn't catch that," he replied, eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Mrmph," Rose buried her face in his chest again. She glanced up to the Doctor's face once again, moving her head against his torso until they were eye to eye.

The Doctor stared at her sleepy face, focusing on brown eyes that were occasionally swallowed up by her eyelids every time she blinked, and felt a surge of affection for the drowsy human. "You're dreaming of me," he whispered to her.

"I know," she mumbled back sluggishly.

_She knew_? If she _knew_ that she was dreaming when she woke up to find the Doctor in the same bed as her, it meant…

"How often do you dream like this?" the Doctor whispered again, still in that same calm, reassuring voice.

"Stupid question," she replied, barely audible. She tucked her head neatly on the Doctor's warm chest, closing her eyes again.

Suddenly not wanting to move at all, the Doctor awkwardly patted her head. How did humans do this? "Go back to sleep, Rose," he suggested quietly.

Rose gave a half-nod and shuffled her body closer to his. "Okay," she garbled, giving a half-nod and shuffling her body closer to his. She gave a soft, sleepy human sigh as the Doctor placed his arm around her.

Then her eyes shot open.

"This can't be a dream!" she realised.

The Doctor felt somewhat offended, but he still kept his arm around her. "And why not?"

"In my dream you want me awake," she stated honestly, before realising what she had said and blushing. "I-I mean…"

The Doctor found the pink stain on her cheeks along with the I've-just-woken-up face to be quite endearing, and that was why he didn't fully take into account what she had said, and the implications of that statement. Instead, he just grinned widely. "Morning, Rose!"

Shocked, she tried to jump up, but the Doctor's hand around her waist stopped her and pulled her back down. "Morning," she smiled back nervously.

The Doctor kept the smile firmly planted on his face. "You're sleeping in my bed."

Rose blushed again, and the Doctor felt a sweep of fondness for her. "Y-yeah… sorry… I'll just-"

"You have dreams about me," he continued, enjoying the expression of complete mortification that crossed Rose's face.

"Uh… um…" was all she could manage as she tried her best to avert her eyes.

"So, you have dreams about me, and you slept in my bed last night," the Doctor summed up, searching for that cute mortified face. "I'm quite proud of myself!" he finished with gusto, and Rose's head shot up in surprise. "I'm cool enough to be dreamt about!" he grinned madly, waiting eagerly for Rose's reaction.

Rose responded with a relieved smile, brown eyes gleaming. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Why wouldn't I? Fit as a fiddle." He paused with fascination. "_Fit _as a fiddle. Fit as a _fiddle_. Fit _as_ a fiddle."

"You were hurt," she whispered, brown eyes turning into deep pits of remembered concern. "Bleeding."

"Ah, well, I'm not now, am I?" he replied. "At least, I hope I'm not, because that'd be just unfair."

Rose let out a weak snort, and attempted to stretch, accidently touching her lips to his arm while doing so. She stiffened for a second, before apparently ignoring it and continuing her stretch.

Electricity was still buzzing through his nerves where her lips had brushed across his arm. Which was unusual, he reckoned, because usually getting little shocks from heightened friction _didn't_ keep going afterwards. "Buzz," he said in confusion. "Buzzy nerves," he frowned, unaware that Rose had begun staring at him with an even greater confusion. "_Really_ buzzy nerves."

"Doctor?" was the soft question.

He didn't hear her. "Odd, very odd."

"Doctor?" bit louder this time.

He jumped slightly, and opened his eyes in surprise, before realising who was talking and what she had said. "That's me!" he paused for a split second. "Yeah?"

She gave him one of her soft smiles. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Well, isn't that a shock?" he replied sarcastically, a glint of humour in his eyes. Then he softened. "I know."

She slowly shifted to a sitting position, and he removed his arm, then, finding no better spot for it, put it back. Rose glanced at the arm in surprise, but grinned and didn't comment.

The Doctor grinned back, and for a second that seemed to last a whole lot _longer_ than a second passed as brown eyes studied brown eyes. It was broken when someone cleared their throat, from a point at the end of the Doctor's bed.

The Doctor turned to face the throat-clearer. "Martha?" He quickly got up from the bed, Rose copying him. Both embarrassed.

Martha Jones smiled at him, apparently choosing to ignore what had occurred. "So, you're awake, huh? Feeling alright? No pain? Any nausea?"

"Mm, no, I'm fine," the Doctor grinned at Martha, hiding his confusion. "Fit as a fiddle, as I was telling Rose here."

"That's good," Martha said, also relieved.

Why was everyone so relieved? It wasn't like he had been going to die. He mentally shrugged. Let weird be weird. Human be human. But first: "Martha Jones… how did you get onboard? Because, unless I have amnesia to top off the start of the day, you weren't in the TARDIS before." The Doctor frowned inwardly as Rose shifted slightly, as if she was nervous.

"I walked in," Martha replied after a momentary look at Rose. "Didn't know what to expect. Collapsed on the floor, you were. And Rose wasn't in the best shape herself."

"Why?" the Doctor gave a quick glance of concern at Rose. "What happened?" he kept his eyes on Rose. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Rose nodded back to him. "I'm fine. Just a concussion. Martha healed it."

"Told you it was a good idea to teach me," Martha interjected.

The Doctor smiled. "Good idea, yeah." As the worry directed at Rose faded, he realised something else. He stared at Martha. "_I_ didn't fly the TARDIS. So how did _you _get here? We aren't even on Earth." Next to him, Rose twitched again.

"We _are _on Earth," Martha clarified.

"We're on Earth," he repeated, disbelieving. How could they be on Earth? They'd been on a planet in another _galaxy_! How could they be on Earth? He hadn't flown the TARDIS, and she certainly didn't fly herself- well, at least, not across galaxies.

"Yes," Martha confirmed.

"How?" he asked, and he felt Rose jerk in anxiousness yet again. He turned to Rose. "_How_?" he reiterated, knowing that Rose could answer.

Rose almost gulped, and took a quick look at Martha for help. When Martha offered her nothing but a simple shrug, she answered. "Flew the TARDIS," she said with a shrug, feigning indifference.

The Doctor could do nothing but blink. And blink again. And a third time for good luck. "Huh?"

"I flew the TARDIS," Rose repeated, a gleam in her eye, but a serious expression on her face.

The Doctor shook his head slightly, a frown of puzzlement encroaching his features. "Huh?"

Rose let out a tiny grin at this, and it was obvious that she found it amusing, although the Doctor could sense nervousness emanating from her. She did hide it well, though. "I. Flew. The. TARDIS."

_What_? She flew the TARDIS? Yeah, and orange flying pigs actually flew… and everyone knew, they didn't. Some sort of glitch with the planet's language- the same word with two different meanings. Flying actually meant something similar to _active_ or _spontaneous_.

Back to the point.

She _flew_ the TARDIS?!

Three things popped into his mind at once. She somehow managed to fly the TARDIS, _without _him there to make sure she didn't blow anything up, and _without_ any help. She had somehow learnt to read Gallifreyan, because as far as he knew, and he knew quite a lot, the TARDIS couldn't translate Gallifreyan into English. The last thing that popped into his head was a burst of pride for Rose, and how she'd managed to fly a time device without support, on the first go.

His first words however, were angry. "You could have blown something up!"

His tone was harsher then he had meant it to be, and Rose almost stepped back. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out.

Martha, who was watching the one-sided exchange, took Rose's side, and stated, "Well, she didn't, did she?"

"She probably broke something else," the Doctor countered defensively.

"Like you do?" Rose stepped forward this time. "You go 'round the TARDIS, not a care in the world, and-"

"Hey, hey, hey! Not true!" the Doctor interrupted, feeling somewhat offended. "_My _TARDIS. _Mine_. She's _mine_. So I _can_ walk around like I own the place!"

"It's done now, yeah?" Rose said. "Done. Nothing you can do about it."

The Doctor, still annoyed, and knowing that they both needed to release their emotions, continued the tirade. "I shouldn't even have to think that! Stupid ape! You shouldn't have flown the TARDIS!"

"Well, I did," Rose counteracted.

"You humans, not caring about other people's belongings!" the Doctor grumbled. "Not mine? Who cares?! I'm going to go fly a _time machine_ anyway! I could land in the middle of a war! I could land in the middle of a black hole! Ah, who cares? I could land in the middle of a _sun_!"

"But I didn't!"

"But you could've!" the Doctor yelled, eyes furious, then muttered, "Apes. Brainless apes."

Rose sighed the tiniest of sighs, ignoring his last statement. "_But_ I flew the TARDIS to save our lives," she told him.

"They didn't need saving!" the Doctor replied, quite irritated. Hadn't she known that he'd transfer-regenerate? Why'd she have to go to Martha? He liked Martha and all, Martha was a great person to be around, but just after another battle for the Earth?

A bit too soon.

"I didn't know they didn't need saving!" Rose argued. "I did it because _you _couldn't!"

"But I could've!"

"Like I _said_, I didn't know that!"

The Doctor and Rose were yelling at each other now, words spilling like a flood, making all the anger and frustration and grief start to wash downstream. A flood that was needed. Neither of them let a word get from Martha edgeways. "You knew I'd regenerate!" the Doctor shouted. "You _knew_! You didn't have to come here!"

"Well, too bad. 'Cos I did!" Rose yelled back, but lowered her voice for the next words. "And why are you so _angry_?" she asked quietly. "Why are you so angry at the fact that I flew the TARDIS?"

"It was _dangerous_!" the Doctor roared, taking a deep breath afterward in a futile attempt to calm himself. "It… because… I don't want you to get hurt. I can't let you get hurt."

"Why not?" this was said stubbornly, as Rose placed her hands on her hips.

"Why not? What do you _think_, Rose? _Because_… because I lo-" he broke off abruptly. "Because I made a promise to your mother." The Doctor changed the subject quickly, making his voice harsher to hide what he had been about to let slip, resuming his half-fake glare. "I would've regenerated!"

Rose glared right back, and to the Doctor's astonishment, her eyes began to fill up with tears. "I didn't want it to come to that!" she choked out furiously. "You… you were so badly hurt… and I'd just found you again… and…"

Rose trailed off, and an awkward silence descended upon all of them as the tension in the air began to dissipate.

"I hadn't seen you for a whole _year_," Rose whispered. "Nothing. Not a sight, not a sound. And then the Time Lords came, then I was back. And I was with you, and we were fighting to save the world. And _you_ were injured. _You_ were stabbed. Doctor, _you _were the one who fell unconscious, who was bleeding." Rose's voice grew stronger. "And you know what?" she told him. "I did the right thing. And you can't tell me otherwise."

Like a heavy black cloud, another silence fell upon them, casting foggy shadows over the three inhabitants of the room as the Doctor pondered over Rose's words.

_She did the right thing._

Well, that wasn't necessarily true. The _right thing_, as she so put it, couldn't really be determined by a single person. They were optional, right or wrong. They were. Really.

There were wrongs in rights and rights in wrongs.

And wrongs in wrongs and rights in rights.

And all things in between.

_She did the right thing_.

But did she? Did she really do the right thing? She brought them back to Earth- back to _their_ Earth. But why? To save him? Why had she done it? To get Martha to heal him? Yeah, right. This century of humans didn't even know how to cure a little sniffle. Or a cough.

The apes were just so full of misconceptions sometimes.

Stupid apes.

_She did the right thing_.

Well, to be fair, she hadn't known that the Doctor would be fine. Even if she knew the Doctor would regenerate, she wouldn't know if the Doctor would be fit to move around- after all, the Doctor hadn't stocked up on herbal teas.

Not yet anyway.

He preferred Jackie's herbal tea concoction, but he'd never admit that out loud.

Rose had been able to fly the TARDIS, though. A human. A mere ape. Had been able to fly the TARDIS without any help.

_Rose_ had _flown_ the TARDIS. And had actually flown it in the right direction.

Well, not direction. More like up-down, timey-wimey puddles of space-mush.

The point still remained; she had flown it properly!

Sometimes apes were good for something.

Ingenious apes.

Deciding that he much preferred the good mood as opposed to the grumpy one, he grinned widely at Rose.

"You flew the TARDIS!" he exclaimed.

Rose, somehow managing to understand where he was coming from, grinned right back. "I flew the TARDIS!"

The Doctor opened his arms wide, and Rose, not actually needing an invitation, jumped into the hug.

The Doctor gave a gleeful laugh as he swung her around, and she gave a gleeful laugh back.

Martha didn't gleefully laugh, the Doctor mused as he was hugging Rose.

Why didn't Martha gleefully laugh?

When he realised that the reason should have been obvious from the beginning, he broke off the hug abruptly and turned to stare at Martha. "Ah… um… uh…" he gave an embarrassed chuckle.

Beside him, Rose tried desperately to smother her grin.

Martha just raised her eyebrows at them in a _how-typical-that-you-forgot-me_ way.

The Doctor opened his mouth, having no idea what he was going to say, but knowing that he'd express it eloquently- he _was_ a Time Lord, after all.

But all that came out was a soft, "Aah."

So he tried again. "Mm."

And again. "Heh?"

Martha moved her eyebrows slightly, sending a _ha-now-you-can't-talk­_ look.

Rose tried to stifle a burst of laughter, managing to turn it into a snort with a smidgen of cough.

The Doctor pursed his lips in irritation at his apparent inability to create adequate speech. He tried again. This time, he could speak. "So, Martha, um… how's your family?"

To the Doctor's grievance, Rose had to stifle another laugh.

And Martha's eyes glittered with amusement. "They're fine, thank you."

"Well, ah," the Doctor swallowed. "That's good."

This time Rose couldn't stifle the laugh, and Martha had to hide her smile.

He tried to place his hands into his small yet huge coat pockets to try and gain some semblance of authority, but his hands went straight through thin air, much to his surprise. He looked down and patted his pants- his stripy pyjama pants that he'd gotten courtesy of Howard and his food-fantasies.

Had he been wearing the pyjama's as he had saved the world? Surely not.

"Who undressed me?" he demanded, hands fidgeting because they had nowhere to go. Which sort of reminded him of worms, although he had no idea why.

Rose blushed, coughed, and looked down.

The Doctor stared at her in shock for a second, feeling a foreign heat emerging on his cheeks, and blossoming out like a flower.

Oh, hell.

Was he _blushing_?

Nah.

Of course not.

He didn't blush.

Just to be sure, though, he looked away, glancing down, making sure his face was partially covered by shadow and partially covered by his brown hair.

He could swear he heard Martha chuckle.

When he was sure that all redness- if there was any to start with- had faded, he looked up again. Rose was still looking embarrassed, Martha looking amused. Rose handed him his coat, magically not dirty, and he put it on. Rose didn't look at him the entire time.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh… uh… Martha! How long are you going to be staying? Not to ruin the party, of course."

Martha half-grinned, half-glared at him, and he had a very sudden and mysterious urge to take a step back; the way her glare and smile actually seemed to _fit_ together was rather disturbing. To him, anyway.

"I should go soon, really," Martha decided after a little thought. "I was planning to go catch a movie with Tish later on tonight, and I've been here quite a while."

The Doctor hid his relief at those words. No offence to Martha or anything, but he'd prefer to spend time with Rose for a while. Alone. With Rose.

"But first, you've got something to explain, Mister," Martha folded her arms across her chest, telling the Doctor that she wouldn't leave until she found out. "How did you manage that regeneration-trick? Thought the changing of appearance was kind of compulsory."

"Well," the Doctor leant back as far as he dared without falling. "Yeah, but-"

"Something to do with that transfer thing?" Rose interrupted.

"Yeah, the transfer thing. Caused me to-"

"Heal really quickly?" Martha cut in.

"I was _going_ to say, regenerate without changing my appearance," the Doctor responded, slightly aggrieved. "What really happened was that the transfer sort of… ah…?"

"Healed you really quickly?" Martha asked.

"No, well, yeah, but the transfer… it was a _myth_ in this universe. Not even that. More like a story. A tale."

"Like the toclafane!" Martha exclaimed.

He nodded. "Yeah. Okay… the transfer shifts one Time Lord's regeneration to another Time Lord. So, essentially, I was given a regeneration from the Master."

"The _Master_? He _gave _you a regeneration?" Martha cried out in surprise.

The Doctor just nodded without a word. Martha knew about the Master of this universe, the Master that had killed and tortured and killed some more.

Martha frowned. "But-"

"He's good," the Doctor elaborated. "In that universe."

"But-"

"_Really_ good," the Doctor continued. "Not evil at all. Well, he used to be. Then he got into a room of kids and realised what an idiot he was."

"But," Rose interrupted. "Even if the Master gave you one of his regenerations… how come you didn't change appearance? Isn't that what regenerating does?"

"Yes, but not this time," the Doctor said, and at Rose's look of confusion, he continued. "Right. Consider a regeneration like a… balloon."

"Balloon?!" Martha repeated dubiously.

"Yep." The Doctor took the opportunity to grin. "The colour of the balloon depicts what appearance you'll have. Now, to regenerate, you'd need to blow the balloon up, right?"

Rose nodded, while Martha said, "I suppose."

"For the transfer," he told them, "The Master passed his balloon to me. That colour of the balloon didn't change. When I blew the balloon, that colour couldn't change, right? Well, neither did I!" the Doctor grinned again.

Rose paused, obviously mulling over words, looking slightly puzzled. "But-"

"Oh, it's a lot more complicated than that!" the Doctor glanced at her with a wide, knowing smile. "I just like metaphorical metaphors."

"So," Martha tried to sum it up. "You had the Master's regeneration, and since he had picked the appearance, you couldn't get that same appearance?"

"Correct-a-mundo!" he paused with distaste. He _hated _that word. Hated with a capital H. Hated with a capital 'H' and an extra bucketful of hate. Yucky word. "Never. Saying. That. Again." The Doctor glanced at both Rose and Martha with a renewed glee. "So, that's the story! I must say, you two are _horrible_ listeners."

"Oi!" Rose exclaimed.

Martha didn't reply to that, fumbling instead with her bag, looking for something. "Do any of you have the time?" she asked off-handedly.

The Doctor and Rose shared an amused glance.

When nobody replied, she seemed to think over what she had said, and her eyes travelled up. "Oh. Yeah. Stupid question, sorry." She continued to rummage through her bag. "Wait," she said, "Got it!" She pulled out her phone, immediately checking the time.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. _3…2…1…_

"I'm late!" Martha yelped.

He grinned with pride. Perfect timing.

"Right. I've got to go," Martha told both of them. "You two going to be alright?"

Rose shot a look at the Doctor that he returned. "We'll be fine," Rose confirmed, moving towards Martha to give her a friendly hug. "Thanks, Martha. For everything. Keep in touch?"

Martha grinned as Rose stepped back. "For sure." She turned to go.

"Wait," the Doctor called. "What about me?" He walked forward so he was right next to her.

"See you, Doctor," Martha smiled.

"Bye, Martha!" he grabbed her in a hug, and she put her arms around him and hugged back. This time, however, was unlike previous times they had hugged. This time, Martha wasn't trying to cling herself to him. She was keeping her distance. Hugging as a friend, and nothing more.

The Doctor smiled softly at her as she pulled back. "You're a good person, Martha Jones."

Martha stared back at him. Something crossed her eyes at that moment, something with understanding and happiness and sadness and forgiveness all rolled into one nice, neat package. She continued to stare at him, and he could see the same fiery passion as the first day they had met. Her eyes were burning with it. "I know you love her," she stated, not breaking eye contact. Refusing to break eye contact.

He replied in much the same way, eyes never wavering. "Not really a surprise."

She smiled softly.

And then he blinked, and the fire was gone.

Replaced with a happiness that the Doctor couldn't quite define, or understand.

"You'd still better answer my calls!" Martha said warmly.

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, I will!"

And Martha was gone out through the med-lab doors, turning to wave a goodbye to Rose on her way out.

She didn't say anything else.

But the Doctor could still sense that soft, happy smile.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

TBC…

_A/N_

_Well, that's the penultimate chapter finished._

_Yes, that's right. The next chapter will be the last chapter. The ending._

_So, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please, bear with me as I go over the thanks that have become my habit._

_First, enormous cheers to those who reviewed the previous chapter: __**Random Nonsence, Talia Taylor, Erikstrulove, ILUVHOUSE, CSITribe, Doctor-Lost, x-EmilyTennant-x, M64, Lozz Sparrow, tylerfan23, Mini Librarian, gaiafreedom21, sparks733, artistgirl727, scme, NewDrWhoFan, gaia-x-goddess **__and__** Kuro the Spork Queen.**_

_Second, just as big enormous cheers to those that have put this story on their favourites lists:__** Beneath the Rose, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, DramaQueen1133, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, ILUVHOUSE, Iriahm, JeMS7, Kaia-S, Kuro the Spork Queen, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, Mini Librarian, Princess of the Fae, QuiteRightToo, Random Nonsence, Rose Tyler, Rosie-Jess, Sesa28, Sunny angel, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, Tigerprime, VampMistress, Wanabee, artistgirl727, awesomepwincess123, captaincatch, caromac, enneisilee, gaia-x-goddess, gaiafreedom21, gryphalkon, helenluvsboo, horsemaniac, jimmybeam, rommie-rules, sparks733, tylerfan23, varjak, x-EmilyTennant-x **__and__** yegbb10.**_

_Now, last chapter we had a Rose Tyler clone. This time, we'll go with our favourite Captain. A Captain Jack Harkness clone (with optional I'm-immortal-so-you-can't-kill-me-ha-ha-ha upgrade) to all those that put me as their favourite author:__** ataralasse, Beneath the Rose, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, gaiafreedom21, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, ILUVHOUSE, johnny-B-reading, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, Mini Librarian, QuiteRightToo, Random Nonsence, rommie-rules, Rosie-Jess, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, tylerfan23, VampMistress, Wanabee, windpoetry **__and__** x-EmilyTennant-x.**_

_And lastly, thanks to all those that put this story on their story alerts and put me on their author alerts._

_The next chapter might be out soon, and it might not. I don't know. But I'll try to get it out sooner, okay?_

_Yeah._

_And the reviews… please… review! I love them. Feedback is good._

_SnowFox3_


	16. Chapter 16

A/N

_A/N_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, you'd all know my name. And I would've met David Tennant and Billie Piper.

_Hey guys! I'm back! And geez, I'm sorry it's taken so long…so, so long to get this chapter out. Had writer's block for ages, and school's been hovering over my head like a storm cloud. I don't mind rain though, so it's all good. But, hey, it's the last chapter, right? I've got heaps of people to thank, so I'll do that at the end. This chapter is dedicated to all those that read (or are reading) this story. This is for you guys!_

_My last gesture to keep reading…so nostalgic… But first, here's a little reminder about what happened last chapter. Or you could just go back and read it; it's up to you, really. Lots of stuff in this chapter, so keep your eyes peeled._

_And enjoy!_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_Right. I've got to go," Martha told both of them. "You two going to be alright?"_

_Rose shot a look at the Doctor that he returned. "We'll be fine," Rose confirmed, moving towards Martha to give her a friendly hug. "Thanks, Martha. Keep in touch?"_

_Martha grinned as Rose stepped back. "For sure." She turned to go._

"_Wait," the Doctor called. "What about me?" He walked forward so he was right next to her. _

"_See you, Doctor," Martha smiled._

"_Bye, Martha!" he grabbed her in a hug, and she put her arms around him and hugged back. This time, however, was unlike previous times they had hugged. This time, Martha wasn't trying to cling herself to him. She was keeping her distance. Hugging as a friend, and nothing more. _

_The Doctor grinned softly at her as she pulled back. "You're a good person, Martha Jones."_

_Martha stared back at him. Something crossed her eyes at that moment, something with understanding and happiness and sadness and forgiveness all rolled into one nice, neat package. She continued to stare at him, and he could see the same fiery passion as the first day they had met. Her eyes were burning with it. "I know you love her," she stated, not breaking eye contact. Refusing to break eye contact._

_He replied in much the same way, eyes never wavering. "Not really a surprise."_

_She smiled softly._

_And then he blinked, and the fire was gone._

_Replaced with a happiness that the Doctor couldn't quite define, or understand. _

"_You'd still better answer my calls!" Martha said warmly._

_The Doctor grinned. "Oh, I will!"_

_And Martha was gone out through the med-lab doors, turning to wave a goodbye to Rose on her way out. _

_She didn't say anything else._

_But the Doctor could still sense that soft, happy smile._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor turned around as soon as the TARDIS had told him in her usual humming tone that Martha had left through the TARDIS doors. Rose was half-standing half-leaning against the TARDIS' med-lab stretcher, a smile of gratitude slowly fading from her face. "So…" the Doctor started, trying to ignite a conversation as both of them recalled the exchange, if it could be called that, about clothes and undressing and dressing.

"What should I say?" the Doctor thought to himself quickly, which was unusual for him, seeing as he was the kind of person to speak before he thought. "Need something spiffy. Nothing to do with clothes or lack of clothes or beds or sleeping or sleeping with Rose or anything like that. Something spiffy. Cool spiffy, not sparkly spiffy. Spiffy. Spiffy, spiffy, spiffy. Really ought to use that more often. Oh, I know!" the Doctor cleared his throat. "Ro-"

"You do know that you said all that out loud, right?" Rose's eyes glittered in amusement.

"No I didn't," the Doctor pouted.

Rose nodded with a grin. "You did."

"No, I didn't," he denied.

"Yes, you did."

"Did not."

Rose just grinned at him, making him incredibly nervous. "Spiffy, huh?"

"It's a cool word, yeah," the Doctor agreed. His eyes widened slightly as he realised what that implied. "Ah."

Rose nodded with the same cheeky grin, tongue poking out between her teeth. "Yeah."

"Right."

"Yeah."

"Well," the Doctor started, ignoring the awkward atmosphere. "What to do now, eh?"

Rose shrugged, continuing to grin.

The Doctor ignored the smile. "We could go to New Earth again…or New Earth's moon! Did you know they called New Earth's moon just New Moon? I mean, honestly, sometimes you humans have the most _boring_ names for things. Well… they named the other planet in the New Earth system Cicero, which is a great name for the planet, 'cos guess what they called the moon?" the Doctor didn't wait for Rose to reply. "They called the moon Atticus! Cicero and Atticus… get it?" he grinned widely. "Yeah? Cicero and Atticus? Yeah?" he paused. "No?"

"No," Rose agreed.

"Oh." The Doctor felt a bit put off, but as always, that lasted about a second. "Well, we can always search for the planet Terelis. It's one of the seven hundred Wonders of the Universe, you know. But it's always called Terelis the Lost, because no-one's been able to find it for over one million years. Apparently the inhabitants were big writers. They liked writing." The Doctor frowned slightly, deep in thought. "Their stories were so good it almost seemed as if they were writing future events. No one ever figured out how the stories were so good."

When there was no reply, he looked up. Rose had a look of deep thought on her face, and, if the Doctor concentrated, he could sense the faintest aura of confusion and awe surrounding her. Being one of the most ingenious individuals in the universe, he easily pieced together the clues. "You've seen one, haven't you? You've seen one! Where? When?"

"In the other universe… found by Torchwood in the sixteenth century," Rose replied. "They couldn't understand it. They had to get some special linguist to come in and translate it, 'cos none of the languages matched. The guy took about… uh… a bit over a year to translate it. Nobody knows how he did it. But he ran off with it for some reason. Torchwood thought he was just some mad hatter, so they let him go. Don't think they cared much for some strange book."

"Why not?!" the Doctor was quite irritated. "Books are the best. Better than guns. But that's Torchwood, right, look I've found a book! Let's get rid of it, we don't want to get smarter! Oh, look! I've found a gun! Yes, let's use it! We can be complete idiots and destroy everything that doesn't look like a human!" he glanced at Rose. "No offence."

Rose sighed, but grinned, and the Doctor knew he'd gotten away with it.

"Anyway, continue," the Doctor encouraged.

"Well, the book was found again buried in the Sonoran Desert."

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but Rose was quick to clarify. "I've got no idea how it ended up there," she told him. "Torchwood chucked it in their archive."

"They didn't even bother reading it?!" the Doctor exclaimed in fury. His mind whirled. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why humans would be so wasteful. And he doubted he ever would.

Rose shook her head ruefully. "I found it though, one day. I was searching through, and I found it, and so I asked if I could have it when I found that nobody wanted it."

The Doctor frowned. "And they let you?"

"Well, sort of…" Rose glanced down in embarrassment. "Mickey stole it and gave it to me as a present. Said I should get my mind off y-… someone."

Taking no heed of the last sentences, the Doctor replied, "Do you have it with you?"

His eagerness must've been unmistakeable, for Rose grinned and nodded. He had to stop himself from cheering. He hadn't been this excited since… well, since he'd seen Rose once again. That reunion was the surprise of his life. At the time, though, the Doctor hadn't seen it as incredible… he'd just seen it as impossible. But now…

Now he could see it for what it was. _Incredible_. Impossible, but then again, nothing was impossible. A miracle, if he believed in them. It was amazing, and the Doctor again felt the bubbling joy rise in him, the same joy that he'd had when Rose had entered the TARDIS for the first time in a year. Bubbling joy gave way to something bigger… better. A thousand emotions swirled around in his head and his hearts. And his hearts ached with it, ached with the one emotion he'd thought he couldn't feel again; at least, not to this extent.

He looked up at Rose, and she seemed to be mirroring his feelings. Eyes were the window to the soul, they said, and right now both pairs of brown eyes showed that marvellous joy. Joy of being alive, and joy of being together.

The loneliness, though it would never be gone, had faded to nothing but a shadow at the recesses of their minds.

"You know what, Doctor?" Rose whispered.

"What?" he whispered back, not breaking eye contact.

"You taught me something, Doctor. Nothing is impossible."

Her brown eyes echoed the truth of this statement, but the Doctor was the Doctor, and so amusement had to be added. "Never tried to slam a revolving door, then?" his eyes gleamed.

She smirked. "I'm sure it's possible on one planet or another."

He let the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. "Sure?"

The smirk widened. "Yep."

The Doctor thought for a split second, and his face echoed Rose's smile. "You'd be right."

They ceased talking, and a light silence emerged, a companionable silence, a nice silence, the Doctor thought, despite his love of action.

Rose broke the silence. "That goodbye on Bad Wolf Bay… seems so long ago now…"

"And I would hope so, too!" the Doctor replied. "Because you're back now. It doesn't matter what happened before; it's over, and it's irrelevant." And it was, too. The pain was irrelevant. The loneliness was irrelevant.

Rose paused, looking confused and slightly hurt. "Even what I said?"

The Doctor frowned. "What did y-" _Oh_. "No-no-no-no. Of course not!" The Doctor mentally cursed himself. The confession made by Rose and the almost-confession made by him… they both hadn't mentioned it since returning. The Doctor still loved her, loved her with both his hearts. He'd never stop loving her. Maybe it was embarrassment, or maybe it was just waiting for the fire to rekindle, but no time previously had been the right time. He remembered his decision based on the Master's words: _Let her decide. Let her choose._ And suddenly, he felt incredibly insecure and nervous. "What I meant… well… uh… um… what you… said… is it… still, uh… still…"

"Real?" Rose finished quickly, nervously.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, glad she understood, but still brimming with that anxious anticipation.

"Yeah, yeah, they're real." Rose nodded hastily.

The Doctor gave a sigh of relief that he hoped she couldn't hear. "That's good."

"Really?" Rose _was_ nervous as well.

"Yeah."

There was a silence, filled with a nervous tension.

"Does that mean, uh…" Rose trailed off, looking awkward.

"Does that mean…" the Doctor gestured for her to continue, maybe too quickly.

"Well, do you…" Rose fidgeted, her hands wriggling where they were resting on her thighs. "Do you… um… do you… I mean, I said it… but do you see me like-"

The Doctor realised what she was going to say, and cursed himself again for being so slow. He was a Time Lord! He should be faster than that! Embarrassed, but refusing to show it, he placed his hands on her shoulders. Now or never. He stared her in the eye. "Yes, Rose Tyler, I love you. I love you too."

Rose's joyous grin was immediate. "Yeah?" she whispered, and her eyes began to glisten. "Quite right, too."

The Doctor held out his arms, and Rose jumped into them. He held her close, feeling her trembling with excitement and happiness and the overwhelming contentment that he was also feeling.

He didn't time how long they were hugging. Neither of them did. An eternity could last a second.

But seconds passed, and the Doctor, as his normal enthusiastic self, said to Rose, "Can I see the book?"

Rose pulled back, and the Doctor could see the happy tears in her eyes. "Stupid," she said fondly, wiping her eyes. "C'mon then."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rose glanced at him for the second time as they walked down the corridor of the TARDIS to her room, aiming for the book that Mickey had stolen for her. He was standing as his tall self, his coat back around his shoulders and swishing as he moved, even though he had yet to get out of his pyjamas. His brown hair was standing up at all angles, another normal. His expression; excited. Excited and happy, and there was a gleam in his eye that hadn't been there before.

If Rose could look into a mirror, she'd probably see the exact same gleam. All the 'what ifs', they'd gone, sent to the back of her mind as nothing but a memory, a fragment of a thought. There were no more what ifs, there was just the Doctor and there was just Rose.

And, of course, there was that book.

The TARDIS seemed to sense the mood, because she moved Rose's room closer to them. When Rose recognised the familiar pattern outside her door, she grinned and opened it. Entering her room, she was again astounded by the normalcy of it all. The feel of belonging…

It was back.

She was home.

Her room was mostly clean; the orb, the flower and the photo were still where she'd left them, on her bedside table, and her bag was still on her bed. Her bag… the only thing from the alternate universe, the only thing left apart from her memories.

She was deep in thought as she rummaged through her backpack. She pulled things out at random, not paying attention to what she pulled out; her purse, a light-bulb thing, a book, a stun gun, a comm., the phone she'd received from her mother…

_Mum_.

Her family. She'd never see them again, would she? She'd never again tell her mother off for using the phone for too long, never again joke around with her dad, never see Heather grow. She couldn't even-

"Hello!" the Doctor interrupted her thoughts. "What's this?"

She looked up. The Doctor had the light-bulb thing in his hands, and it was glowing a very light blue colour. She remembered that. But she hadn't had it on Earth. And she suddenly realised with joy what it was. "Yes! Yes, yes, _yes_!"

"What?"

Rose glanced at him, eyes brimming with ecstasy. "I'm not sure if I told you… the Time Lords gave me another device as well… a _communication_ device."

_Another man, hiding in shadows, walked out and handed Rose a different device, slightly smaller, looking almost like a light bulb except a pale blue in colour. Rose grabbed it, and stared at the old man in confusion._

"_Thankyou," Rose said, then upon realising who it was, grinned. "Thanks, Officer."_

"_It's a communication device," the Master told her. "It'll enable conversation between different universes, but only when both ends have a device such as this. I'll be giving one to your family after you leave."_

The Doctor caught onto her train of thought quickly. A smile threatened to cover his face. "So you can talk to your family!"

"Yeah!" Rose cheered, placing the device upright on her bed. Then, gently, almost hesitantly, she placed her hand over the device, and narrowed her eyes in concentration. The effect was instantaneous. The bulb glowed brighter, and slightly darker, and a holographic image of static appeared above it, about the size of a small television. Rose pulled her hand away in shock, and the Doctor was quick to grasp it.

She squeezed the Doctor's hand as she stared eagerly at the display.

The static took an eternity to clear. When it did, though, Rose frowned. A black background wasn't what she had expected. She glanced at the Doctor, but he was frowning too.

Hoping that she could still be heard, she spoke. "Hello? Is anyone there? This is Rose Tyler."

She heard a yelp or a small scream from the other end, and she grinned at the Doctor, who promptly grinned back. The communication device _worked_. Disjointed voices came to their ears:

"_Not… going to be fine…nothing to worry…no voices…"_

"Hello?" Rose repeated, heart pounding, although she couldn't tell why. Not yet, anyway.

Another scream came from the other end. This time, the words were easy to hear. _"I'm not hearing voices… I'm not hearing voices…"_

"It's okay," Rose spared a look at the Doctor. "I'm talking through a communication device." She recognised the voice on the other end though; it wasn't her family, or Mickey, or Jake, and she couldn't tell who it was, but she definitely recognised the voice. Female. It was female.

The image on the holographic screen went fuzzy for a moment, before clearing. And this time, it wasn't dark. It was as bright as day. Rose could see what looked like the bow of a boat, and beyond that the sparkling ocean, and the blue sky. This was the other Earth. Then a female came into focus, wearing black and white and carrying something in her arms.

"Heather!" Rose realised when she saw who was getting carried. The small child in the screen turned around and giggled. _"Wo-wo!"_

The older female crouched down, and Rose recalled her as one of the many maids in the Tyler residence. _"Miss Tyler?"_

"Yeah! Yeah, it's me!" Rose replied.

"_How can I be talking to you? You were captured! I was ordered to take Heather away from the danger!"_

Rose's eyes widened. So this woman didn't know that the crisis was over. "No, no, it's okay. Really. The danger's gone! You can go back!"

The voice on the other end sounded unsure at best. _"But…the thing… the light in the sky…"_

"It's gone now," Rose comforted her. "You can turn the ship around!"

"_The ship hasn't left yet,"_ the woman replied hesitantly. _"I… are you sure, Miss Tyler?"_

"I'm sure! Really! It's safe!" Rose told her.

The female made a choking sound, and stood up suddenly, causing the image to buzz with static once again.

"What is it?" Rose questioned. "What's wrong?

The woman's voice trembled. _"They're here! The enemy… they're here! How'd they find me? Did you send them?"_

Rose and the Doctor shared a confused glance. "The enemy's gone," Rose said gently.

"_No they haven't! It's that Torchwood! And you're with them! I know you are! You're not getting Heather!"_

"No, wait-" Rose gasped, but she was too late. The woman's foot kicked the device away, and the image turned to static. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" Rose cried. Not now, not after she'd come so close to talking to everyone…

"Shh," the Doctor whispered to her. "It's just the image that's gone. Wait, I'll try to boost the signal." He reached into his pocket and got out the sonic screwdriver, running the buzzing device against the bottom of the communication device. "Come on… there!"

Voices could be heard once again.

"_No! You can't…Heather…"_

"_Ma'am, the threat has been…you can return…they are all safe…"_

"_No! Don't lie! I saw them! I saw… with them!"_

"…_I swear… gone…not coming back…"_

"_Lies! … They… Miss Tyler…"_

"_Rose Tyler?"_

"_Yes! …She… working with them…"_

"I'd never do that!" Rose cried indignantly. She felt the Doctor squeeze her hand in reassurance.

"_Rose?"_

"_Where?"_

"_The device… you're with them… you know…"_

Rose could hear the maid's sobs, and her heart went out to the distressed woman. But she had greater priorities at the moment. "This is Rose Tyler, who am I speaking to?"

The voices paused, then one replied, _"Thompson and Fraser, ma'am."_

"Aren't they-?" the Doctor whispered to her.

"Yeah," Rose replied softly, before raising her voice. "Is everyone okay?"

"_Your family is fine ma'am. Estimated casualties are unknown as of yet. We were ordered to retrieve your younger sister."_

Rose breathed a sigh of relief, and next to her, the Doctor did the same thing. "Make sure you look after them," Rose said.

"_What? … hear you…"_

"No-no-no!" the Doctor fiddled with the settings on the sonic screwdriver before buzzing it against the device once more.

Rose raised her voice. "Look after them!"

"_Will…ma'am…is… Doctor…"_

"I'm here!" the Doctor cried out. He seemed to realise something, and his eyes went wide as his body went still. "Is the Master alive?"

"…_sorry…hear you…"_

"I said, is the Master alive?" the Doctor's voice rose in desperation.

"_can't…off…hear…"_

"The Master!" the Doctor shouted. "Is the Master alive?"

" _breaking…static…leave…fix? Maybe…return…"_

"Is he alive?" the Doctor roared, and Rose could tell that the Doctor knew it was a lost cause.

With a shrill screech and a burst of static, the sounds and the images from the other end failed, and the Doctor fell against Rose's bed, Rose sagging to her knees with the shock.

Her family was safe. Those were the only words that were in her mind. _Her family was safe_. Echoing and repeating itself around her head like a broken record. She gave another sigh of relief. No matter what happened, her family was safe. And the two Torchwood guards, Thompson and Fraser- Rose could see as clear as day that they were trying to redeem themselves. She hoped they'd manage; because those two, they were alright, really.

But the Master…

He'd helped Rose so much… him and Loranos and the Officer. She practically owed her life to them. Time Lords were different to humans, she realised suddenly. Who would waste their lives for a complete stranger? For a dead man?

She closed her eyes, feeling the emotions rise up in her chest. Shock, horror, pity, loss, fear, sorrow… but then happiness, love, gratitude.

She gave a rueful smile. The Master… complete with brown-black hair and blue eyes… she hoped he'd survive.

Because hope was the only thing she could do. Hope, and remember.

…_Not daring to believe it, but wanting to believe it, she ran towards the sound. She stopped abruptly at the end of an alley, seeing something that she would've expected. The TARDIS looked different. It wasn't a police box; instead it was a phone booth, not dissimilar to the one she had been using mere moments ago._

_The door opened, and a man walked out. He had dark brown hair, almost black and bright blue eyes. But when he stared at her, she knew it wasn't the Doctor._

…"_Are you a Time Lord?" she asked._

"_Are you a human?" the man replied sarcastically._

…"_My name… is the Master."_

…_Finally, the TARDIS landed, with a smooth shift from space to ground. "You can actually fly the TARDIS," she realised in wonder, staring at the Master._

…"_Hey, I've known you for a whole..." he checked his watch, "three minutes!"_

…"_I'll call you Sprout for short. Right-oh Sprout?"_

…"_Believe me," the Master told her, "I regret it. I wasted half my life looking for something I couldn't have."_

…"_You're searching for someone you care about. I, on the other hand, was searching for conquest and power. I was searching for __control__. You're searching for someone you love." The Master stopped at Rose's gasp. "I know you love him. It's not that hard to tell," he said to her. "Only something like love would allow you to trust someone like me."_

…"_Rose, the Officer's death wasn't your fault, alright?" the Master knelt down to where Rose was crouched, haunted eyes shifting from the Doctor's still form to the Master's caring blue eyes. "He died to save you. Respect him for that. But Rose… it's not your fault. He really did care for you, Rose. Like I do. Like the Doctor does." He paused. "Your family is whoever you care about. Remember that, Rose. It doesn't make it easier, it doesn't make it better. But it does make it true."_

…"No!_" she screamed in denial, unable to close her eyes, which were focused on the knife, coming down, towards the Doctor…and suddenly the Master was in the way and the knife wasn't in the Doctor, it was in him…_

_It doesn't make it easier, it doesn't make it better. But it does make it true._

Rose opened her eyes slowly. She could feel moist tears at the edges of her eyes. After all the Master had done for them, for _her_… she didn't know if he was still alive.

Alive or dead?

She understood now why people wanted closure. Why people wanted to be sure that a person was dead, or if a person would die.

Because waiting was horrible.

It was _horrible_.

And she understood how the Doctor felt now… or at least, what he could be feeling. She glanced at him. And she was right. The Doctor was staring blankly at the bed, completely ignorant to the world outside. She felt a burst of sympathy for him, he who'd lost so much, and still smiled.

The last of his race… possibly in two universes.

"Doctor?" she uttered softly. He looked up, and she almost gasped. His eyes weren't watering, but they were dark. Dark and swirling and sad. Was that what her eyes looked like? "The Master told me something, Doctor. While you were still unconscious in that cell. The Officer died to save my life. I felt- I still feel- like it's my fault. But he died to save my life. I'll respect him for the rest of my life for that. The Master… he cares for you. His best friend. You two are like brothers. And you know what?" she watched as the Doctor turned to meet her gaze head on. She smiled. "Families look out for each other."

The Doctor nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"And Doctor…" Rose scrutinised him. "Don't you _dare_ give up on the Master. He's still alive, you got that? He's still alive, 'cos you saved him, too."

The Doctor's smile widened slightly. "Thanks."

Rose moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. "They'll be fine."

The Doctor put his arms around her. "I really love you, Rose Tyler."

Rose grinned, her face buried in his shirt. "I know."

They really did like their hugs, Rose mused as they remained lying against the bed, arms around each other, comforting and consoling and doing basically everything that had been left unsaid.

Everything that didn't need to be said.

She tightened her grip on him. Next time, though, she'd be the one to save the Doctor. Next time-

"Rose," the Doctor's hushed voice reached her. "Look…"

Rose looked. The Doctor was staring, transfixed, in awe, at her bedside table. _What was-?_

The flower.

_She picked up a small, brown, hardened flower which still smelt just as sweet as the first day she'd seen it. It had been the first alien planet she had ever visited, and the flower, according to the natives, was said to bloom only once every five thousand years, and only for a couple of seconds. And when it bloomed, it showed colours of unimaginable beauty. Even though the flower appeared withered and dead, it still smelt fresh and moist, as if to announce the fact that it was still alive._

It still smelt fresh and moist. Still announced that it was still alive.

But it was blooming.

The flower was slowly waking up. The petals, almost frosted by time, shrivelled outwards slowly, and the colours of the universe began to seep through.

Rose grabbed the Doctor's hand and squeezed, still watching the flower in awe.

The colours were dazzling and bright, and mystifying and dark, and anything you could imagine. It was blue and green and yellow and red and stunning.

"Wow," Rose breathed.

The colours began to fade again, as the petals began to shrivel inwards once again. And the flower was withered and brown and dead-looking again. Something so small, and capable of such beauty.

Rose's face lit up with an enormous smile.

The universe was _incredible_.

And the book was momentarily forgotten.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was the afternoon. The clouds rolled past the mountains slowly, and slowly, as he watched, the clouds turned hues of pink and blue and orange. It was as if nothing had happened. He heard the crunch of footsteps behind him, but he didn't turn around.

"You should still be resting," the arrival told him. "You almost died."

"I think I did die," he replied.

"The world can wait another day, you know. Get some rest."

"Pete, right?"

"Yeah," Pete emerged from behind him.

He turned to Rose's father. "Has your youngest daughter been found?"

Pete smiled. "Yes. Two Torchwood personnel brought her back. The maid with her was a bit frightened, but that's going to be expected, isn't it?"

The man beside Pete nodded. "Everyone is frightened. That won't disappear for a while. But the weapon's been destroyed. That's over. All the differences between the places of this Earth… it's all irrelevant now. You've all got to work together."

"I know." Pete ran a hand through his short hair. "I've managed to get emergency supplies to other survivors around the world. They're going to be offered a place here, in Britain."

The Master glanced at Pete. "How many are dead?"

Pete sighed, and suddenly the leader of Torchwood looked weak and fragile. "Over half the world's population, gone. Over four billion people. The United States is almost completely wiped out. China is too. London is almost gone. But Britain itself was pretty lucky. It didn't get hit that hard. The world's in disarray."

"It's not going to be easy," he told Pete. "Never is. But you humans can adapt. You'll get there."

"In the end," Pete nodded. "Yeah, I suppose. But what about you?"

"I'll stay for a bit. Help you lot get back on track. Then I'm travelling again, back to the place I've been living."

He could sense Pete frowning next to him. "But didn't your TARDIS get destroyed?"

The Master's blue eyes lowered to the ground. "It did, yeah. No way to change that. But I can find my way back."

"And what about-"

"The Doctor?"

"Yeah. Do you-"

"He's alive," the Master looked up at the clouds, and back to Pete. "I'll contact him again. Gotta thank him for saving my life again. Him and Rose."

Pete nodded beside him. The Master, suddenly unwilling to talk further, turned his gaze just in front of him. He smiled softly when he heard Pete's footsteps retreating. He could see why the Doctor was so fascinated with this particular race. Humans… if given the time, they could become legends. Legends of the stars, like the Time Lords were.

And now he was the last of the Time Lords. The last one in this universe, anyway. He'd never been interested in travelling around, not to the extent of the Doctor anyway, but he'd watch over the races. Watch over them, protect them.

They deserved that. They all deserved that.

The Master looked upwards once more.

His determined blue eyes stared at the colourful array of clouds in the sky until the bright spherical glow of the sun finally touched the horizon with orange fire and then was leisurely swallowed up by the silhouettes of mountains in the distance.

And he turned, ready to head back inside.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_The end… of this story, anyway._

_A/N_

_I'm going to miss this story. I really am. But there is going to be a sequel. It's not going to be uploaded for a while yet, but I assure you, there is a sequel on its way. I've written out the summaries for it already. I know what's going to happen._

_I hope you all enjoyed this. Because I really did._

_Now, there were a couple of things in this chapter and the previous one, that give clues to what's going to be going on in the sequel. Any guesses, anyone?_

_Alright, time to thank everyone. As per normal._

_First, a huge thankyou to those that reviewed the previous chapter__**:**__**M64, Sunny angel, **__**VampMistress, QuiteRightToo, NewDrWhoFan, Mini Librarian, MythStar Black Dragon, Tylerfan, artistgirl727, laal ratty, gaiafreedom21, Doctor-Lost, I've Lost My Profile Page, ILUVHOUSE, Kuro the Spork Queen, capemaynuts, x-EmilyTennant-x, Atheniandream, gaia-x-goddess, Talia Taylor, theholycows, Sesa28, Isis the Sphinx, Rosie-Jess, Doctah**__, and__** Rose-Jane**_**.**

_Second, thankyou so, so much for putting this story on your favourites lists:__** Berta433, Captain Oblivious, Cerveth, Doctah, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, DramaQueen1133, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, I've Lost My Profile Page, ILUVHOUSE, Iriahm, JeMS7, Kaia-S, Kuro the Spork Queen, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, Mini Librarian, Nia River, Princess of the Fae, QuiteRightToo, Rose Tyler, Rosie-Jess, Sesa28, Sunny angel, Talia-Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, Tigerprime, Tylerfan, UnstoppableForce, ValentineEvenings, VampMistress, Wanabee, WhoKnows909, artistgirl727, awesomepwincess123, captaincatch, caromac, enneisilee, gaia-x-goddess, gaiafreedom21, gryphalkon, helenluvsboo, horsemaniac, jimmybeam, rommie-rules, sparks733, theholycows, varjak, wiggiemomsi, x-EmilyTennant-x **__and__** yegbb10.**_

_Now you guys get a Donna Noble figurine. A Donna Noble figurine to those who put me on their favourite author lists:__** ataralasse, awesomepwincess123, Doctah, Doctor-Lost, Doctors girl, Draco167, gaiafreedom21, I'mTheMasterOfWhatever, I've Lost My Profile Page, ILUVHOUSE, johnny-B-reading, Kuro the Spork Queen, Lovelessheart18, Lozz Sparrow, Mara Jade Snape, Mini Librarian, QuiteRightToo, rommie-rules, Rosie-Jess, Talia Taylor, Tara-lov-Dr10, tbeholycows, Tylerfan, ValentineEvenings, VampMistress, Wanabee, wiggiemomsi, windpoetry **__and__** x-EmilyTennant-x.**_

_I'm honestly awed and delighted about how much attention this story has received. Almost one hundred alerts and over fifty favourites… thankyou everyone. The support is just incredible. Love the support!_

_And, geez, over two hundred reviews! You guys are great!_

_Thankyou again, and I'll see you all (hopefully) when I post the next story. Look out for it!_

_And I'm going to be replying to all the reviews, so please review!_

_SnowFox3_


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